Annie Park fired the low round of the day, an 8-under-par 63, to move into the lead after two rounds of the Dana Open on Friday in Sylvania, Ohio.
Park started her round at Highland Meadows Golf Club on the back nine and made a five-birdie run from the par-5 18th hole to the par-4 fourth. She finished the day with eight birdies and no bogeys to get to 11-under 131 for a two-shot lead.
“I always say if I hit some really good shots just fairways and greens and putt well any course is my course,” Park said with a laugh.
The 28-year-old from Long Island has one career victory back in 2018, but she has made only four cuts this year in 11 starts.
Three players are tied for second at 9 under: Allisen Corpuz, Linn Grant of Sweden and Jaravee Boonchant of Thailand.
Corpuz posted a 67 Thursday and a 66 Friday to build off her breakthrough victory at last week’s U.S. Women’s Open. The 25-year-old from Hawaii is bogey-free through two rounds.
“Really just been focusing on energy levels and trying to get some rest,” Corpuz said. “But everything’s felt like it’s been really solid and, yeah, been hitting some really good shots.”
Grant and Boonchant were co-leaders after the first round and each followed their rounds of 64 Thursday with a 69.
Eight players were part of a tie for fifth at 8 under: Jeongeun Lee5 of South Korea (64 Friday), Lindy Duncan (65), Gemma Dryburgh of Scotland (66), Maria Fassi of Mexico (67), Finland’s Matilda Castren (68), Sweden’s Linnea Strom (68), Denmark’s Emily Kristine Pedersen (69) and Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn (69).
World No. 3 Lydia Ko of New Zealand and World No. 7 Minjee Lee of Australia both shot 68 and are part of a large tie at 7 under.
Mia Hammond, a 15-year-old amateur, made her first LPGA tournament as a Monday qualifier and shot consecutive rounds of 68 to reach 6 under and make the cut with ease.
“It’s honestly a dream come true,” Hammond said. “I’ve put in a lot of work over the winter and beginning of the season this year and it’s so great to see it finally pay off.”
Twenty-year-old phenom Rose Zhang (77 Friday, 1 over for the tournament) missed the cut, projected at 1 under par.
–Field Level Media