Mao Saigo grabs lead, Nelly Korda 3 back at US Women's Open
Mao Saigo of Japan putts on the ninth green during the second round of the US Women's Open. PHOTO: AFP
ERIN – Mao Saigo got her hands on her first Major championship in April. After her performance on May 30 at the US Women's Open, she is halfway to another.
The Japanese fired a six-under 66, the best round of the championship so far, and finished the day with a three-stroke lead at Erin Hills in Erin, Wisconsin.
She piled up seven birdies and made just one bogey on the USGA's difficult course setup to get to eight-under 136. Meanwhile, world No. 1 Nelly Korda moved into the picture by shooting a 67 to jump to 5 under.
Korda is tied for second with Sarah Schmelzel (68), Yealimi Noh (71), Sweden's Maja Stark (69), Japan's Hinako Shibuno (69) and Kim A-lim of South Korea (71).
Saigo won the Chevron Championship in April via a five-way play-off, the largest in women's Major championship history. It was the 23-year-old's first LPGA win of any kind.
'I think that I was able to be more confident about my judgments that I make,' she said about what she gained from that experience.
'However, I would like to play my play rather than thinking about changing myself.'
Saigo led the field in putting, needing just 24 putts to get through 18 holes. The longest birdie putt she made was a 32-footer at the par-four 12th.
'Today's condition was better than yesterday,' she added. 'That's why I made a lot better shots and a lot better putts than yesterday, and that brought me a better score and results.'
Korda went from having just one birdie and one bogey in the opening round to a much more colourful card of seven birdies and two bogeys.
'All week I was hitting putts really well,' she said. 'I wasn't discouraged by all the missed putts or the close calls that I had yesterday. I just tried to build on that because I was hitting really good putts.'
The American also said she will aim to stick to her process heading into the weekend, as she hunts for her first US Women's Open and third Major.
'I feel like I've had a very complicated relationship with US Opens,' Korda said. 'But I'm happy to be in the position I am heading into the weekend.'
In men's golf, Nick Taylor conjured four birdies without a bogey in a four-under 68 to pull into a tie for the lead with Ben Griffin in the PGA Tour's Memorial Tournament in Dublin, Ohio.
Taylor, who claimed his fifth PGA title at the Sony Open this year, had little trouble on the way to a 36-hole total of seven-under 137.
Overnight leader Griffin, coming off his second win of the season at Colonial last week, had one bogey and one birdie in an even-par 71 to maintain a share of the lead. REUTERS, AFP
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