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From:TheBahamasWeekly.com Sports
LEADS BY ONE OVER SARAH JANE SMITH AND ROOKIE LUNA SOBRON GALMES Paradise Island, Bahamas – Battling strong winds that earlier had resulted in a suspension of the second round for more than a day, Brooke Henderson of Canada recorded an even-par 73 Saturday and retained her lead in the $1.4 million Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic. Henderson, 20, had four bogeys and four birdies, including a 12-foot birdie at the last, to complete 36 holes in 5-under 141 at the Ocean Club Golf Course at Atlantis Resort. She led world No. 1 Shanshan Feng by a stroke, while Ryann O’Toole, Danielle Kang, Lexi Thompson, Wei-Ling Hsu and rookie Luna Sobron Galmes were two behind, though only O’Toole, with a 69, and Kang, with a 73, had completed 36 holes. Feng and Hsu had nine holes to play while Thompson and Sobron Galmes had 10 holes left when the round was suspended by darkness at 5:54 p.m. EST. Feng birdied her last hole of the day, the par-5 18th, to stand 1 under on her round. Hsu was 3 under par, while Thompson was 2 under and Sobron Galmes, playing in her first event as an LPGA member, was 1 over par. Four players, including defending champion Brittany Lincicome, were 2 under par, though none had played more than 11 holes.
Sustained winds gusting up to 43 miles per hour caused a suspension that stretched to 26 hours and 36 minutes and forced the scheduled 72-hole event to be shortened to 54 holes. Play was halted at 8:39 a.m. Friday and resumed at 11:15 a.m. Saturday. Half the field, 54 golfers, did not complete their second round and will return for the resumption of play at 7 a.m. EST Sunday. Some players have as many as 11 holes to complete. After the cut to low 70 scores and ties, the third round will begin with players going off both No. 1 and No. 10 tees in threesomes. After opening with a bogey-free 68 on Thursday, Henderson bogeyed her first hole on Friday and faced a four-foot par putt on the second hole when play was suspended. She converted the par save to set up another day of good ball-striking in winds that had barely dissipated but at least allowed for the tournament to resume. “Bogeying the first hole yesterday was a little disappointing, so coming out this morning I tried to get off to a little bit faster start,” Henderson said. “However, I bogeyed [No. 3] so I was 2 over for the first three holes, which was a little bit scary for me, but I feel like I stayed pretty patient and made a lot of birdies to come back.” O’Toole, 30, seeking her first LPGA victory, owned the low score of the second round thus far with her 69 that included six birdies and just two bogeys. “Today I just stayed really patient and capitalized on a couple more birdies,” said O’Toole, who put new PXG irons in her bag this week. “I've been striking it well all week and so it's showing and just try to continue it tomorrow.” The sixth annual Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic is the opening event on the LPGA schedule for the fourth time. Offering a purse of $1.4 million, the tournament features a field of 108 players from 24 countries that includes 15 major champions and 12 winners from the 2017. Live final-round coverage on Golf Channel begins at 3 p.m. EST. Admission is free for all spectators. For more information, contact the Tournament Office at +1 242.676.2325 or the Media Center at 242.698.6005 or visit www.puresilkbahamasclassic.com.
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