NAPLES, Fla. (AP) — What looked to be a wide-open race for the richest prize in women’s golf is now in the hands of Celine Boutier, who made seven birdies over the last 10 holes for a 7-under 65 and a four-shot lead Friday in the CME Group Tour Championship.
For so much of the wind-blown second round, a dozen or so players were separated by one shot at Tiburon Golf Club. That included Nelly Korda and Jin Young Ko, four-time winners this year in a battle for LPGA player of the year.
Over the final two hours, Boutier left them all in her wake in the chase for the $1.5 million prize.
Among her seven birdies, the 28-year-old from France chipped in from short of the green on the 13th, stuffed her approach to 4 feet behind the hole on the 15th, reached the middle of the green on the par-5 17th in two for an easy birdie and closed with a 7-foot birdie putt.
She was at 14-under 130, four ahead of Gaby Lopez of Mexico (68), Evian Championship winner Minjee Lee of Australia (68) and Mina Harigae (69).
“I was frustrated with my front. I left a couple of shots out there,” Boutier said. “My long game was really solid all day, and I was able to put my shots close, and it was helpful on the back.”
Korda, who has a 10-point lead over Ko in the race for player of the year, was in the group five shots behind after having to settle for a 69.
The 23-year-old American star was right there in the mix until she was slowed by one swing. She went for the green on the par-5 14th and it peeled to the right on her, just inside the hazard line. Korda still had a swing, but her punch shot didn’t make it up the slope, and she failed to get up-and-down from there to take bogey.
“I just hit it a little heely and it just floated out to the right,” Korda said. “That’s usually my miss. The ball is above your feet. I was trying to be a little aggressive with it, and my misses have been a little left, so I kind of lifted up and hit it out to the right.”
Ko had a 67 and was in the group…
Source : yahoo
