Albatross and closing birdie lift China's Liu to LPGA Chevron lead
China's Liu Yan made a stunning albatross and a closing birdie to seize a one-stroke lead when darkness halted Friday's second round of the LPGA Chevron Championship.
The 27-year-old sank a 15-foot birdie putt at the par-five 18th hole to finish off a level par 72 and grab the lead on seven-under 137 for 36 holes at Carlton Woods in the year's first major women's tournament.
Advertisement
"I'm glad I made that last birdie," she said. "Today I had so many putts so close. Last hole was my first birdie today so I'm very happy."
Liu's most spectacular shot, however, came at the par-five eighth when she holed out her second shot from 170 yards with a seven-iron.
"There was helping wind and I hit a really solid driver on the fairway," Liu said. "I took my seven-iron and yeah, it was pretty crazy."
It was the first albatross in a women's major since American Morgan Pressel made one at the 2015 Women's British Open.
Liu hopes to make her first LPGA triumph a major victory but a host of rivals were hot on her heels.
Advertisement
American Lindy Duncan birdied her last three holes to shoot 66 and share second on 138 with compatriot Sarah Schmelzel, Japan's Mao Saigo and South Korean Kim Hyo-joo.
South Koreans Choi Hye-jin and Ryu Hae-ran, American Angel Yin and Belgium's Manon De Roey were on 139.
A 90-minute morning fog delay led to the round being halted by darkness with nine players yet to finish. They will complete the second round on Saturday morning before the cut is made and the third round played.
Among those still on the course, China's Zhang Weiwei was on five-under with three holes remaining.
Liu, who began playing golf with her mother 15 years ago, has a best LPGA career finish of third at the 2023 ShopRite Classic.
Advertisement
She had opened with a 65 to share the 18-hole lead, but stumbled with bogeys at the first and sixth holes only to answer with the albatross stunner.
After a bogey at the ninth, Liu's lead was down to one stroke. She parred the next six holes before making bogey at 16, missing an eight-foot par putt to fall back, only to surge into the lead alone again with her closing birdie.
"I think definitely I will feel a little bit (of pressure) because this is a major," Liu said. "I know the course going to be harder so I think I just stay patient, calm, because I'm a very emotional person."
js/bb
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
WBC Boxing Grand Prix quarter-finals full results
WBC Boxing Grand Prix quarter-finals full results originally appeared on The Sporting News 32 became 16 on Wednesday, August 13 in Saudi Arabia Phase 3 of the WBC Boxing Grand Prix delivered thrilling upsets and spectacular knockouts across nearly nine hours of free boxing on DAZN as the crowd at the Cool Arena in Saudi Arabia saw 32 fighters from 15 different countries in four different weight classes get whittled down to 16 semi-finalists. 'We saw a compilation of great talent from all over the world. The boxers that fought tonight will be local heroes when they come back home,' said WBC President and tournament organiser Mauricio Sulaiman. 'This is something that just keeps getting better. I can't wait for the Semifinals in October, and then the Grand Finale in December.' All 16 quarter-final winners will now compete in the WBC Boxing Grand Prix semi-finals in October on a date yet to be confirmed. Featherweight Yoni Valverde 16-0, 3 UD Yusuf Adeniji 16-1, 10 Yoni Valverde took the victory by unanimous decision in a complicated fight for the Frenchman. Bekizizwe Maitse 9-1, 3 (MD) Iman Joshua Lee 14-1, 8 Bekizizwe Maitse of South Africa, takes the victory by majority decision, after showing great talent as a counterpuncher and leaves the American, Iman Lee, on the way. Muhamet Qamili 17-0, 7 (SD) vs Troy Nash 5-1, 1 KO Muhamet Qamili won his fight against Troy Nash via the enhanced scoring system. Brandon Mejia 11-0, 9 (UD) Ayubkhon Bakhtiyorov 8-1, 5 Brandon Mejia takes the win by unanimous decision over Ayubkhon Bakhtiyorov of Uzbekistan, to becomethe only Mexican to advance to the semi-finals. Super Lightweight Danylo Lozan 15-0, 9 (TD) Sanatali Toltayev 4-1, 2 The fight was stopped in the fifth round due to a second accidental headbutt that caused a second cut on the Ukrainian's face, resulting in Danylo Lozan taking the victory by majority technical decision. Carlos Utria 12-0, 10 (UD) Spencer Wilcox 12-1, 5 The Colombian, Carlos Utria, continues to show himself as one of the favorites to win the super lightweight division, achieving a victory by unanimous decision against the Canadian, Spencer Wilcox. Mujibillo Tursunov 8-0, 2 (UD) Misael Cabrera 17-3-1, 11 The Uzbek Tursunov took the victory by unanimous decision after a real war with Cabrera. Ntethelelo Nkosi 10-2, 5 (UD) Fiorenzo Priolo 11-1, 5 Ntethelelo Nkosi of South Africa took the victory by defeating Fiorenzo Priolo by unanimous decision after dropping the Italian in the fourth round. Middleweights Derek Pomerleau 14-0, 11 (KO-2) Dmytro Rybalko 5-1-1, 2 In a short but intense fight, Derek Pomerleau once again demonstrated his great KO power, stopping Rybalko in the second round. Dylan Biggs 16-1, 9 (UD) Petro Frolov 12-2, 4 Dylan Biggs secured his ticket to the semifinals by unanimous decision in a fight he dominated from the first rounds and also knocked down the Ukrainian. Carlos Sinisterra 13-1, 10 (KO-3) Ephrem Bariko 12-1, 6 Carlos Sinisterra came from behind to win by KO. Lancelot Proton de la Chappelle 18-1-1, 5 (SD) Emiliano Aguillon 13-1-1, 7 The Frenchman, Lancelot Proton de la Chappelle, secured his passage to the next round via the 'enhanced scoring system. Heavyweight Keaton Gomez 13-3, 11 (TKO-1) Devon Young 9-1, 7 Keaton Gomez didn't disappoint and started the quarter-final round with a first-round TKO. Kevin Ramirez 11-0-1, 4 (SD) Piotr Lacz 14-1-0, 10 In a very close decision, the judges declared the Argentine, Kevin Ramirez, the winner via 'enhanced scoring system' after a very tight fight that was tied until the fourth round. Ahmed Krnjic 6-0, 4 (MD) Tsonte Rogava 12-1 (8 KOs) In a close fight where both left their hearts in the ring, Ahmed Krnjic won the fight by majority decision. Dante Stone 21-1, 13 (UD) Youness Baalla 2-2-1, 2 Dante Stone took the victory by unanimous decision against Youness Baalla in a very close fight in which the American showed better defense.
NBC News
an hour ago
- NBC News
10-year-old prodigy becomes youngest female to defeat a chess grandmaster
A 10-year-old British girl is full of shocking moves, landing her a spot at the top of the chess world in a historic turn of events this week. Bodhana Sivanandan became the youngest female player to ever defeat a chess grandmaster this weekend at the 2025 British Chess Championships in Liverpool. Bodhana beat Peter Wells, 60, at the competition's final on Sunday. She's about six months younger than the American who previously held the record in 2019, according to the International Chess Federation. Bodhana is now considered an international master of the game, just one rung below grandmaster. Bodhana's incredible chess skills have been making headlines for a few years. At just 8 years old, she was named the best female player at the European Blitz Chess Championship in Croatia. The following year, she became the youngest person ever to represent England internationally, according to Sky News. Lawrence Trent, an English chess master, described Bodhana as "one of the greatest talents I've witnessed in recent memory." Bodhana told the BBC last year that she began playing when she was 5 during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown. A chess set was among a bunch of toys and games a father's friend gave them before returning to India, she said. "I wanted to use the pieces as toys," Bodhana said. "Instead, my dad said that I could play the game, and then I started from there." Chess, which is recognized as a sport by the International Olympic Committee, is no stranger to young prodigies. Last year, 8-year-old Ashwath Kaushik became the youngest player ever to defeat a grandmaster.
3 hours ago
Karol G to headline halftime show during YouTube's first exclusive NFL broadcast
NEW YORK -- Bringing football fans, Brazil and Karol G together for a one-night experience? That's a winning formula. The Grammy award-winning musician will headline a halftime show during YouTube's first exclusive NFL broadcast next month, which will stream live from Corinthians Arena in São Paulo, Brazil on Sept. 5. That's the NFL week 1 matchup between the Los Angeles Chargers and the reigning AFC-winning Kansas City Chiefs. 'This year has been truly rewarding, and the timing of this opportunity — to be part of such an important moment like YouTube's first-ever NFL live broadcast — is perfect,' the singer shared in an exclusive written statement. 'With my latest album 'Tropicoqueta,' I set out to represent the many facets of my Latin culture, something I'm incredibly passionate about in everything I do. I'm excited to bring that same energy and pride to this global stage and honored to continue elevating Latin culture on such a monumental platform.' It's a natural pairing. Karol G is a global superstar, American football is growing in popularity worldwide, and many of the world's most ardent music fans call Brazil home — it's one of the many reasons 'Come to Brazil' has become a stalwart meme, a three-word stand-in for the ultimate expression of fandom. 'Our goal is to highlight the excitement and Americana of the NFL, but do this thoughtfully in a way that plays to local cultures, practices and traditions,' said Tim Tubito, senior director of global game presentation and entertainment at the NFL. Booking Karol G 'not only excites our fans and pays homage to their culture in South America, but has an impact on a global scale,' he added. 'We hope all of our fans are ready for a historic celebration.' The game is free to stream for fans across the globe, exclusively through YouTube and YouTube TV. It begins at 5 p.m. Pacific / 8 p.m. Eastern / 9 p.m. BRT (local time). A pre-show kicks off an hour earlier. 'To celebrate this moment, we are thrilled that global superstar Karol G will perform during our halftime show,' said Angela Courtin, VP of sports and entertainment marketing at YouTube in a statement. 'The game and performance will be broadcast worldwide for free on YouTube, blending the fandom of sports and music together for one epic cultural moment.'
