Sarah Kemp jumped from a tie for 30th after the opening round to the co-lead at 8-under with a second-round 65 after firing eight birdies and just one bogey, finishing with the second-lowest second-round score of her 16-year LPGA Tour career.
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“The three birdies was awesome. I just started hitting it good. I had a good warmup. Felt like it was going to be a pretty good day,” said Kemp. “Just hitting fairways and greens, and, yeah, just happened to go in really early on, so it was a nice trend to the day.”
South Korean Jin Young Ko, currently No. 3 in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings, was T3 after a first round 68 and made her first birdie on the ninth hole, followed by a pair of birdies on 11 and 12. She capped off her bogey-free round with a birdie on the par-4 18th hole for another 68.
“It was awesome. I had a great round today, also yesterday, too,” said Ko. “I tried to make a bogey-free round, and I made it.”
Jin Young Ko had herself a day to get to the top of the leaderboard at @LPGAfounders pic.twitter.com/b78dHM78Dt
— LPGA (@LPGA) May 12, 2023
Three players are tied for third at 7-under, India’s Aditi Ashok carded a 68 to move into the tie alongside defending champion Minjee Lee of Australia (69) and South Korean rookie Hae Ran Ryu (70).
“I just wanted to be near the top of the leaderboard or at the top in the early rounds of the tournament,” said Ashok, in her seventh year on the LPGA Tour. “I’ve been doing that. Hopefully I can have a good weekend and maybe capitalize on the good start.”
Overnight leader Sei Young Kim of South Korea followed up her opening 66 with a 76 and lies in T29 at 2-under.
Among those that missed the cut at 1-over are Rolex Rankings No. 1 Nelly Korda, two-time 2023 LPGA Tour winner Lilia Vu and 2023 JM Eagle LA Championship winner Hannah Green.
