South Koreans share LPGA top spot

Rookie In-Kyung Kim and Mi Hyun Kim are at 7-under-par after two rounds.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

PITTSFORD, N.Y. — Rookie In-Kyung Kim shot a 5-under 67 Friday to join South Korean compatriot Mi Hyun Kim atop the leaderboard after two rounds of the Wegmans LPGA.

In-Kyung Kim, the 19-year-old native of Seoul, whose best finish was a tie for fourth at last month’s LPGA Corning Classic, ran off six birdies at the tree-lined Locust Hill course but gave up the outright lead with a three-putt bogey on the last hole.

“I’m still having fun and I have two more days to go,” she said. “I think right now I’m in a good position and I can try to win this weekend.”

Eight-time tour winner Mi Hyun Kim (68) had five birdies through 11 holes but lost momentum with four holes to play when she three-putted from 30 feet for her only bogey.

Both of them moved to 7-under 137, two ahead of Angela Stanford (69), who moved into contention despite a double-bogey finish. Lorena Ochoa of Mexico, who tops the money list with $1.25 million shot a 71 to move to 4 under.

Kerr struggles to 75

First-round leader Cristie Kerr picked up birdies on Nos. 2 and 3 to get to 8 under but struggled on the back nine with two bogeys and a double bogey to finish with a 75 for a total of 3 under.

Norway’s Suzann Pettersen (75), who captured her first major title at the LPGA Championship two weeks ago, also lost ground with a double bogey on No. 12 and a two-shot penalty for slow play on No. 14 to drop to 1 under. Defending champion Jeong Jang (73) was at even par.

The $1.8 million tournament, sandwiched between two majors, drew 47 of the top 50 money winners, but two have dropped out with injuries. Natalie Gulbis, who opened with a 78, withdrew on the third hole with recurring back pain and Stacy Prammanasudh left Thursday with a thumb injury.

Driving and putting well

In-Kyung Kim had pinpoint accuracy off both tees and fairways and made three long putts for birdie from 25 feet on No. 9 and from 20 feet on Nos. 5 and 12.

“My driver was really good and second shot was real close to the hole, so I had lots of opportunity to make a birdie,” she said.

She missed the cut in four of her first six tournaments but has stayed through the weekend in the past five, tying for 21st at the LPGA Championship.

“I feel [I’m] getting better every day,” she said.

Mi Hyun Kim won the SemGroup Championship in May, tied for second in Corning and picked up two other top-10s this year. The 30-year-old Inchon native has earned $7.1 million since joining the tour in 1999, including a season-best $1.3 million last year.

Champions Tour

CONCORD, Mass. — The Bank of America Championship is spending more time on The Weather Channel than The Golf Channel.

A year after the Champions Tour event was flooded out before a single shot was played, Tom Watson weathered two rain delays to shoot a 7-under 65 in Friday’s first round. Two-time runner up Tom Purtzer was a stroke back at the Nashawtuc Country Club course.

“This is nothing,” Watson said after two torrential, but quickly moving, downpours delayed play for a combined 3 hours, 13 minutes. “The question is always asked why I play well in bad weather. I guess it’s because I grew up in it.”

A native of Kansas City, Watson played through the winter and learned to putt on frozen greens. He once made a hole-in-one on New Year’s Day, at about noon, on a 202-yard, downhill shot off rock-hard ground.

And, of course, he had some foul-weather success on the way to winning eight majors — five of them at the British Open — and 39 times on the PGA tour. In the 1979 Memorial, with the temperature struggling to reach 40 degrees and winds whipping around 30 mph, Watson shot a 69 in the second round to take control.

“Fifteen pars and three birdies. That was a good day,” Watson said. “I lapped the field that day.”