Lee5 takes Portland Classic lead. Inkster falls shot short in bid to make cut at age 65
Lee5, the 36-year-old South Korean player, had a 12-under 132 total at Columbia Edgewater. Winless on the LPGA Tour, she birdied the final five holes on her front nine in the morning round.
'When we are playing well, we expect it to continue,' Lee5 said. 'So, I want to really concentrate and focus going into the weekend. The past two rounds I had great energy, good shots, and good putts.'
Inkster, the Hall of Famer who won the 1999 event, followed her opening 69 with a 74 to miss the cut by a stroke. JoAnne Carner was 64 when she made the cut in the 2004 Chick Fil-A Charity Championship.
'Wasn't very inspiring,' Inkster said. 'I didn't drive the ball as well as I did yesterday. Kind of a grind out there today.'
She played to prepare for the U.S. Senior Women's Open next week.
Grace Kim of Australia and Gurleen Kaur of the United States were a stroke back on the tree-lined course. Kim had a 65, and Kaur shot 68.
Akie Iwai had her second straight 67 to join Pajaree Anannarukarn (67) and Ashleigh Buhai (68) at 10 under.
Amateur Kiara Romero had a 69 to get to 8 under. The University of Oregon star won the 2023 U.S. Girls' Junior and 2025 Big Ten title.
'It feels really good just to see my game match up against some of these pros, just getting more comfortable playing in front of crowds and stuff,' Romero said. 'My first time playing in front of a big crowd I kind of got a little bit shaken up and was nervous out there.'
Two-time champion Brooke Henderson, a stroke back after an opening 65, had a 73 to fall to 6 under. The Canadian star is winless since January 2023 and has dropped to 52nd in the world.
First-round leader Adela Cernousek followed her opening 64 with a 75 to drop to 5 under.
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Angel Yin, the top-ranked player in the field at No. 7, was 2 under after a 70. No. 9 Haeran Ryu also was 6 under, shooting 72.
Defending champion Moriya Jutanugarn missed the cut with rounds of 73 and 74.
The tournament is the longest continuous event on the LPGA Tour except for the majors, dating to 1972.
___
AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
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