NORTON, Mass. — Miranda Wang waited a very long time to make a brief birdie lastly end a 5-under 67, giving her a two-shot lead Friday amongst those that accomplished their second rounds within the rain-delayed FM Championship.
Many of the moist day at TPC Boston was a sequence of rain delays, and it wound up taking Wang some 10 hours to complete the spherical.
Nelly Korda, scheduled for a day begin, managed to get in 4 holes (two birdies) and can return with the second half of the sphere Saturday morning.
Jeeno Thitikul, the No. 1 participant in girls’s golf, joined Hannah Inexperienced and defending champion Lauren Coughlin in jogging down the ninth fairway once they noticed darkening skies and needed dearly to complete their spherical earlier than the subsequent delay.
“I don’t suppose I may have mentally ready myself for an additional delay,” Inexperienced mentioned with amusing.
Wang already has 16 birdies over 36 holes and has stretches of massive birdie runs. She began the event with eight birdies in her opening 9. She completed the second spherical with three in a row, solely it didn’t go all that shortly.
She had an 8-foot birdie putt on the par-5 18th when the horn sounded — once more — stopping play. Wang returned some two hours later and holed the putt to succeed in 11-under 133.
“I didn’t anticipate the climate as a result of on the forecast we didn’t see any thunderstorms coming on this morning. However, effectively, that’s golf,” Wang mentioned. “We’re enjoying in nature, so it’s generally unpredictable. We simply should face it and put together mentally, bodily for the thunderstorms and simply attempt to keep calm and each time heat up similar to you didn’t cease and simply preserve going.”
Madelene Sagstrom had a 66 and was at 9-under 135. Inexperienced (68), Azahara Munoz (68) and Celine Borge (66) had been one other shot again.
The LPGA was hopeful that with an inexpensive weekend forecast, the event may very well be near getting again on schedule by Saturday night or Sunday morning. The plan was for the reduce to be made after which to ship threesomes off each nines.
Korda, who has but to win this yr, confronted 32 holes on Saturday as she tries to remain in place for an opportunity at her first victory of the yr.
Thitikul, who changed Korda atop the world rating earlier this month, charged into the combination with 4 birdies on the again 9. However she performed the entrance 9 in occasion par for a 68 and was 4 pictures behind.
On today, what mattered was ending. It was her thought the group waste no time enjoying the ninth once they noticed the clouds.
“The safety guard advised us … three minutes left, so run, prepared and go,” Thitikul mentioned. “It was begin and cease, begin and cease. It was irritating a bit bit, however glad we’re completed.”
Additionally 4 pictures behind had been Ladies’s British Open champion Miyu Yamashita (66) and Jodi Ewart Shadoff, who completed the opening spherical with 4 straight birdies to share the 18-hole lead. She needed to accept a 72 on Friday.
