LPGA ANA INSPIRATION

LPGA ANA INSPIRATION

In-Kyung Kim back on top after 2012 miss

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif.

Seven years after missing a 1-foot putt on the final hole of regulation and losing a playoff, In-Kyung Kim was back on top at the ANA Inspiration.

The 30-year-old South Korean shot a 7-under 65 in mostly calm morning conditions Friday at Mission Hills to take a three-stroke lead over Katherine Kirk into the weekend in the first major golf championship of the year.

“Every stage, every passage of life has meaning to it and serves some purpose to it,” Kim said. “I’m just here doing my best.”

In 2012, Kim missed the short par putt to fall into a playoff and lost when Sun Young Yoo birdied the first extra hole. Kim struggled with the loss before finally ending a long victory drought late in the 2016 season in China. Her confidence renewed, she won three times the following year, capped by a major victory in the Women’s British Open.

“Sometimes winning is great, but for me as an athlete, you want to see some progress in your game,” Kim said. “That’s what I’m focusing on at the moment. That gives me joy. Anything else really is just a bonus, an extra.”

On Friday on the tree-lined layout toughened by thick, dewy rough, tighter fairways and some longer holes, Kim birdied all four of the par-5 holes and played a nine-hole stretch in the middle of the round in 6 under. After three-putting the par-4 seventh for her first bogey in 25 holes, she saved par on the par-3 eighth with an 8-footer and closed the round with an 8-foot birdie putt on the par-4 ninth to reach 8 under.

PGA VALERO TEXAS OPEN

Si Woo Kim grabs two-shot advantge

SAN ANTONIO

Rickie Fowler and Jordan Spieth are successfully fine-tuning their preparations for the Masters.

However, they haven’t been able to match Si Woo Kim so far at the Valero Texas Open.

First-round leader Kim used a late-round hole-in-one Friday to build a four-shot lead at the halfway point of the PGA Tour’s last stop before the Masters.

Kim, the 2017 Players Championship winner, led by one heading into the second round before shooting a 6-under 66.

Kim aced TPC San Antonio’s 16th hole and is 12 under through 36 holes. He leads six players at 8 under, including Fowler and Spieth.

Fowler led on the back nine until consecutive bogeys late in the round.

Joining Fowler and Spieth — both shot 68 — are Harold Varner (66), Adam Schenk (66), Kyoung-Hoon Lee (67) and Monday-qualifier Corey Connors (67). Lee got it to 9 under before a bogey at his final hole of the day.

Associated Press