Paradise Island, Bahamas – Jessica Korda battled the high winds at the OceanClub Golf Course to shoot a 7-under-par 66 and take a one-stroke lead over Paula Creamer, who tied for the low round of the day with a 65, after 36 holes at the Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic.
Korda, a 20-year-old who is in her fourth year on the LPGA Tour, has an 11-under-par total of 135 heading into the weekend on the 6,644-yard, par-73 layout.
Michelle Wie, who tied for the low round of the day with a 65, and Jenny Suh, who earned her spot in the field as a Monday qualifier, are just two shots behind the leader at 137. Suh made seven birdies en route to a 66. First-round co-leader Lydia Ko is among four players tied at 138 after a 3-under 70 on Friday.
“Feeding off Paula was good,“ said Korda, who played in the same group with Creamer. “She made four birdies in a row after (starting with a double bogey), and it wasn't like she wasn't giving herself opportunities. It was birdie after birdie. It was awesome to play with somebody like that because they really do push you and keep making you try harder.”
Creamer got into trouble on the first hole when her tee shot went far left. She finished the hole by 3-putting from 7 feet.
“After that, I said let's go make some birdies, and I did,” said Creamer, who has nine Tour victories but hasn’t won since the 2010 U.S. Women’s Open. “I love playing in windy conditions. I always have; the more difficult, the better. You have to be kind of a feel player out in these kind of situations and trust what you're doing and committing to your shots, and that's something that I really worked hard on in the off season doing and it paid off today.”
In contrast, Suh’s best finish on the LPGA Tour is 29th since turning professional in 2007. She narrowly missed gaining her fully exempt status on the Tour for 2014 when she lost in playoff at qualifying school. But, a win this week would change her fortunes.
“I know what the weekend could do and what it could hold for me, but I’m just going to keepenjoying myself and try to make as many birdies as possible,” Suh said.
The cut came at 1-over 147 with 71 players advancing to the final 36 holes. One of those players missing the cut was defending champion Ilhee Lee, who finished at 2-over 148. The Golf Channel will provide live coverage of the final two rounds from 3-5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
