PORTLAND, Ore. — Perrine Delacour held onto the Portland Basic lead Friday with one other bogey-free spherical at Columbia Edgewater, capturing a 5-under 67 in good circumstances a day after opening with a 63 within the rain.
“You needed to regulate for the pins, particularly on the wedges,” Delacour stated. “But it surely was positively nicer. I imply, though the bag remains to be moist from yesterday, but it surely was positively nicer to be in shorts and polos as an alternative of rain gear.”
Winless on the LPGA Tour, the 29-year-old Frenchwoman took a one-stroke lead over Linn Grant into the weekend on the tree-lined structure simply south of the Columbia River.
“I simply stored affected person,” Delacour stated. “I imply, after all, coming from a frontrunner on the primary day, capturing 9 beneath, you already know you are not going to shoot twice 9 beneath.”
Delacour has 5 top-10s in 11 seasons on the LPGA Tour, together with her profession finest a third-place end within the 2020 Girls’s Australian Open.
“I am the form of individual to overthink,” Delacour stated. “So, the aim is I’ll do some stuff to maintain my head busy and never desirous about golf.”
Grant, the 24-year-old Swede who gained the Dana Open in July in Ohio for her first LPGA Tour title, adopted a gap 65 with a 66 to get to 13 beneath.
“Clearly, nicer to play in the present day when the solar is out,” stated Grant, the previous Arizona State star set to characterize Europe within the Solheim Cup. “I feel yesterday, attending to shoot like a minus-7 was an enormous benefit. It is not all the time very simple when it rains. I simply tried to actually take that benefit and proceed that for in the present day.”
Megan Khang, coming off her first tour victory Sunday in Vancouver, British Columbia, was 12 beneath after her second 66.
“Simply making an attempt to capitalize on some softer greens whilst you can,” stated Khang, who had an eagle for the second day in a row. “I do know it is going to warmth up come the weekend, so actually simply making an attempt to set an excellent tempo and making an attempt to maintain it going.”
The U.S. Solheim Cup participant gained at Shaughnessy, one other tree-lined gem designed by Columbia Edgewater architect A.V. Macan.
“It has been form of like an extended week it seems like,” Khang stated. “However total I feel I’ve form of simply come to this week form of going, `Hey, sport is in an excellent place.′ Mentally a bit drained, however generally that may be an excellent factor.”
Monday qualifier Chanettee Wannasaen (66) was 10 beneath with Ally Ewing (65), Elizabeth Szokol (66), Charley Hull (67), Ruoning Yin (64), Madelene Sagstrom (67) and Gina Kim (70).
The 19-year-old Wannasaen has missed 9 straight cuts in LPGA Tour play. She misplaced a playoff to Yue Ren final week in Idaho within the Epson Tour’s Circling Raven Championship.
Columbia Edgewater member Caroline Inglis was 8 beneath after a 66. The previous College of Oregon participant lives throughout the river in Vancouver, Washington.
“It is all the time enjoyable coming again right here and having all my family and friends watching,” Inglis stated. “This yr is form of bizarre as a result of the course is enjoying prefer it does in like January as a result of it is so moist.”
Second-ranked Nelly Korda additionally was 8 beneath after a 71.
Defending champion Andrea Lee and two-time winner Brooke Henderson have been within the group at 7 beneath. Lee had a 71, and Henderson shot 68.
High-ranked Lilia Vu had a 69 to get to 4 beneath. She tied for third final yr.
Lexi Thompson missed the minimize by a stroke, capturing 72-69. She’s exterior the highest 150 within the Race to CME Globe and isn’t more likely to hold her full LPGA card for subsequent yr at this fee.
Oregon State participant Kyra Ly dropped out with rounds of 74 and 71.
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