PITTSFORD, N.Y. — As confident as Cristie Kerr is playing, the top- ranked American was left surprised with how she ran away from the pack Friday in the second round of the LPGA Championship.
“I played awesome today,” Kerr said. “I don’t think anybody expected anybody to be in double digits after two days. But you know what, keep my head down and keep going.”
Kerr is two rounds from claiming her second major title after shooting a 6-under-par 66 to take a five-stroke lead at 10-under on the Locust Hill Country Club course. The 2007 U.S. Women’s Open Champion opened the day in a three-way tie for the lead before taking control by scrambling out of trouble several times to produce a bogey-free round.
She birdied four of her last five holes to pull away with the low score of the round.
Inbee Park, the 2008 U.S. Women’s Open champion, and Mika Miyazato were tied for second at 5-under after 70s. Brittany Lincicome (69) and Amy Yang (67) were 4- under in a field that has only 17 players at below par in the tour’s second major.
Park was impressed by Kerr’s score but wasn’t prepared to concede anything just yet.
“No, not at all. It’s still two days of golf left out there,” Park said. “Anything could happen on this golf course.”
Rose builds lead with birdie binge
CROMWELL, Conn. — Justin Rose shot an 8-under 62, birdieing five consecutive back-nine holes for the second straight round, to take a four-stroke lead over Kevin Sutherland in the Travelers Championship.
Rose broke the tournament record for the first 36 holes, finishing at 14-under 126. The 62 was one off the course record at TPC River Highlands.
“(Thursday’s) finish was amazing, ran five birdies in the last six and then again (Friday), managed to get five in a row again,” Rose said. “Birdied 10 of the 12 holes, so from just cruising, suddenly I went to the top of the leaderboard just like that.”
Sutherland shot his second straight 65. Vijay Singh (66), Corey Pavin (66), Bill Lunde (63) and Charlie Wi (67) were five strokes back at 9-under.
Footnotes.
Wayne Levi shot a 7-under 65 and had a one-shot lead over Brad Bryant and Dan Forsman after the first round of the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open in Endicott, N.Y.
• Bradley Dredge had two eagles in a round for the first time in his 14-year pro career and fired a 5-under 67 and to take a one-shot lead over Pablo Larrazabal (66—132) midway through the BMW International Open in Munich.
