MENLO PARK, Calif. (AP) — Hyo Joo Kim doubled her lead to four strokes Friday in the Fortinet Founders Cup, capping a late afternoon rally with a 6-foot birdie putt on the par-3 eighth.
A day after holing out for eagle on the par-5 18th hole for a 9-under 63 and a two-shot lead, Kim shot 70 in her afternoon round at tree-lined Sharon Heights.
Gabby Lopez was second at 7 under after a 70 in the morning session, with top-ranked Jeeno Thitikul and Nelly Korda in the group another shot back.
Playing the back nine first Friday, Kim bogeyed Nos. 11 and 17, then rebounded with birdies on 18, 1 and 3 and 8.
“The golf course is a bit hard,” Kim said. “The tee shots are hard to play and the shape of the course is a little tricky. I try my best to just try to do what I need to do.”
The South Korean player, ranked eighth in the world, won the 2015 Founders Cup in Phoenix for the second of her seven LPGA Tour titles.
“It’s been so long.” Kim said about the 2015 victory. “I think I won my rookie year. It was an unforgettable memory because it was my first win as a LPGA member.”
Coming off a third-place finish last month in Thailand, Kim is the defending champion next week in Arizona in the Ford Championship at Wild Horse Pass.
Lopez, from Mexico, had three front-nine birdies and dropped a stroke on the par-4 16th.
Thitikul rebounded from an opening 72 with a 66 in the afternoon. She opened with a bogey and birdied five of the next seven. On the back nine, she birdied 12 and 18.
“You have to be on the fairway first,” Thitkul said. “Find the fairway. The rough was rough.”
Korda, who skipped the Asia swing after winning the season opener in Florida, had a 68 in the morning to get to 6 under. She had late birdies on the Nos. 7 and 8.
“It’s tricky. You really have to shape it out here,” Korda said. “Some of the trees are a little bit intimidating and the greens are tough, too. Not only are they really undulated, but sometimes they’re a little bit harder to read, too.”
Minjee Lee (70), Aditi Ashok (66), Karis Davidson (68). Hye-Jin Choi (70) and Jin Hee Im (72) also were 6 under. Lee closed with a bogey after making four straight birdies.
“A little bit of things to clean up, but I think I’m in a pretty nice position going into the weekend,” Lee said.
The tournament began as a tribute to the 13 founders of the LPGA. It began in Arizona in 2011 and last year was the second event of the season and played in Florida. It has attracted eight of the top 10 players in the world ranking and kicks off a four-tournament stretch in the West ahead of the first major of the year.
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