CINCINNATI — Ruixin Liu of China was nonetheless affected by allergy symptoms that pressured her to withdraw from the LPGA Tour occasion final week. It did not cease her from posting a 7-under 65 on Thursday for her greatest spherical of the 12 months and a one-shot lead within the Kroger Queen Metropolis Championship.
Liu began so properly that her lone remorse was a par on the twelfth gap when she hit her method to 18 ft on the par 5 and three-putted for a par. She had seven birdies by way of 13 holes after which closed with 5 pars.
Liu had a one-shot lead on the Kendale course at Kenwood Nation Membership over Peiyun Chien, Elizabeth Szokol, short-hitting Dottie Ardina and Linnea Strom.
Liu reached the par-5 second gap for a two-putt birdie, made a 15-foot birdie on the following gap after which all of it felt straightforward.
“From that time on the putter is simply rolling nice,” Liu stated. “I just about made all the pieces aside from gap No. 12. That is the one unhealthy gap I performed right this moment, as a result of my second shot was solely like 18 ft for eagle and I three-putted.”
She had no complaints, particularly after a extreme allergy response brought on her to withdraw from the Portland Basic. Liu stated she nonetheless did not have a transparent head for the opening spherical in Cincinnati and has no concept why she performed so properly.
“I am very glad to take it,” she stated.
The Queen Metropolis Championship is the ultimate LPGA occasion earlier than the Solheim Cup on Sept. 22-24 in Spain, and a few of the higher performances got here from Europe.
Emily Kristine Pedersen of Denmark and Charley Hull, a runner-up in two majors this 12 months, every have been at 67. Madelene Sagstrom of Sweden was at 69, together with Individuals Jennifer Kupcho and Ally Ewing, the defending champion at Kenwood.
Rose Zhang holed a 20-foot par putt on the 18th gap for a 70.
Lexi Thompson confirmed little enchancment. Thompson is having her worst 12 months on the LPGA Tour however nonetheless made the Solheim Cup crew by way of the ladies’s world rating. Thompson, who has missed 5 of her final six cuts, made double bogey on the final gap for a 73. She would want a superb rating Friday simply to make the minimize.
Lydia Ko and Girls’s PGA champion Ruoning Yin have been at 68.
The LPGA Tour is coming off per week that delivered one of many largest surprises of the 12 months. Thai teenager Chanettee Wannasaen, a Monday qualifier who was No. 367 on this planet, received the Portland Basic.
Liu is perhaps one other shock. She is a six-time winner on the Futures Tour however has by no means completed within the prime 10 on the LPGA Tour in particular person play.
She is No. 250 on this planet and her greatest result’s a tie for twentieth that counts towards the rating. So it was wonderful to really feel poorly from allergy symptoms and put up her low spherical of the 12 months.
“I do not need to give myself an excessive amount of expectation as a result of bodily I do not really feel nice,” Liu stated. “So I am simply going to take a superb break, attempt to sleep good, and attempt to do the identical factor tomorrow.”
It is a completely different Kenwood course from a 12 months in the past, when rain drenched the Kendale course and allowed participant to raise, clear and place. This 12 months is drier and the ball was operating.
That was a giant assist to Ardina, who’s 168th in driving distance with a mean of 233 yards. However the greens are principally open in entrance, and Ardina was capable of run fairway metals onto the placing floor and convert the putts.
“To be trustworthy, I solely performed the again 9 for the observe spherical. I did not play the entrance 9, so I used to be simply sort of winging it on the market this afternoon,” Ardina stated. “I used to be simply making an attempt to hit fairways and greens.”
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