Celine Boutier takes second-round lead at LPGA event in Singapore

Six-time LPGA Tour winner Celine Boutier had a bogey-free spherical of 8-under 64 on Friday to take a one-stroke lead after the second spherical of the HSBC Girls’s World Championship.

The 30-year-old French participant had a 36-hole complete of 7-under 137 on the Sentosa Golf Membership course, a format a brief drive south of the Singapore metropolis middle.

Ayaka Furue of Japan was in second after a 67. Madelene Sagstrom was in third after a 67, two strokes behind Boutier.

“I don’t know that I really feel actually snug or relaxed. I feel with this area and with so many nice gamers, you’re by no means actually too far forward,” mentioned Boutier.

Furue made two bogeys on the par-4 third and the par-3 fourth however adopted that up with a birdie on the primary par 5, and later picked up back-to-back birdies on holes 8 and 9 to make the flip with a 35.

Furue’s again 9 consisted of a birdie streak of 4 holes from Nos. 12 to fifteen that shot her up the leaderboard.

Sagstrom has no bogeys throughout the primary two days.

“I really feel like these two rounds confirmed to myself that my sport is in an excellent place,” Sagstrom mentioned. “I additionally discovered what I wanted to work on mentally final weekend to provide myself probabilities and never hit the brake button and maintain pushing.”

Sagstrom mentioned she tried to “play it sensible.”

“I feel that’s form of been the important thing to not making bogeys. Yesterday, it was not quite a lot of birdie probabilities. So we form of needed to play sensible and let the putter do the speaking,’” she mentioned.

Sarah Schmelzel, who led by one stroke after the opening spherical of the 66-player, no-cut event, shot 72 Friday and was three behind and in a bunch of 5 tied for fourth.

Brooke Henderson shot 66 to maneuver inside 4 photographs of the lead. Patty Tavatanakit, who gained final week’s LPGA occasion in Thailand, shot 68 and was additionally 4 strokes behind Boutier.

Two-time defending champion Jin Younger Ko shot 73 and was at even par, seven photographs behind, Minjee Lee, enjoying for the primary time this 12 months on the LPGA Tour, had a 74 and was eight strokes behind.

Lydia Ko, who has 20 profession wins, together with two majors, shot 70 and was 9 behind Boutier.

That is the second of three straight weeks in Asia for the LPGA Tour. Subsequent week the tour strikes to China and the Blue Bay occasion on Hainan Island earlier than heading again throughout the Pacific and to Palos Verdes, California for its subsequent event starting March 21.

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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

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