Oct 3, 2008 - 11:27 PM
0 shoutsHALF MOON BAY, California (Ticker) -- Na Yeon Choi has opened up a two-stroke lead after Friday's second round of the Samsung World Championship.
It was a windy and tough day on Half Moon Bay Golf Links' Ocean Course and the scores reflected it. Choi carded a 1-under 71 and was able to move up the leaderboard, while first-round leader Ji-Yai Shin slipped three strokes back after a 76.
At 4-under 140, Choi has a two-stroke lead over four players, including Lorena Ochoa and Paula Creamer.
Conditions were more favorable at the start of the day and Choi began her round with a birdie at No. 1 and added another at No. 8. She had only one more the rest of the day, at the 18th, after consecutive bogeys at Nos. 13 and 14.
"It was really windy today and the weather had gotten worse as we went into the latter half of the round," Choi said through a translator. "Even though I was kind of cruising to 2 under for the first part, but after the first couple of bogeys, I felt like the game was kind of getting away from me. But when I actually looked up on the scoreboard, and saw everybody else's score, as well as mine, it actually gave me kind of a calm confidence."
For a while it looked like Ochoa was going to run away and hide from the field as she reeled off five straight birdies starting on No. 4. Then the winds picked up and Ochoa cooled off.
The two-time reigning champion's birdie streak ended with a double-bogey at the par-3 ninth and Ochoa suffered another double at the par-4 13th. She dropped shots at Nos. 16 and 18 as well and is tied for second at 2-under 142 after a 73.
"Of course, I'm frustrated. I'm upset I made those two double-bogeys," Ochoa said. "I should have just made bogey and left with a better score. It's Friday. I have two days to go. I'm close to the lead and I'm going to make sure I play good on the weekend."
Song-Hee Kim (73), Angela Stanford (73) and Creamer (74) are tied for second with Ochoa.
"The temperature dropped, it was getting windy. It played hard," Creamer said. "It was a definite test of golf. Even early on it was difficult. But really that back 9, it played hard. You are you just trying to hit and hope."
Katherine Hull (73), Yani Tseng (74) and Shin are at 1-under. Shin shot an opening round 5-under 67, but had seven bogeys on Friday and did not make her first birdie until No. 14.
Ochoa is looking to become the fourth player to win this event at least three times, including five-time winner Annika Sorenstam.
The Swedish star, who was paired with Ochoa, struggled to a 5-over 77 and is six shots off the pace at 2-over 146.
First prize is $250,000.
