Chun Takes Two-Stroke Lead Into The Weekend in Canada

OTTAWA, Ont. – In Gee Chun is tired of finishing second.

Chun, who has notched four runner-up results in 2017 – including losing in a playoff at the Manulife LPGA Classic earlier this year, the first of two LPGA Tour stops in Canada – is doing her best to lock up her first victory on the LPGA Tour since 2016, as she leads by two heading to the weekend at the CP Women’s Open. 

“I (had) a lot of seconds this year, but I think they were good memories for me and a good experience,” said Chun, who sits at 8-under par. “I think I'm ready to win.” 

Chun made five birdies Friday and just one bogey to fire a 4-under-par 67, the same score she shot Thursday. She admitted she was having trouble reading the Ottawa Hunt & Golf Club’s tricky greens, but managed to coordinate things better with her caddie, who helped her line things up better. 

“I had a hard time seeing the putting line, so I asked my caddie, and he picked good lines,” she said. “I trusted my line and make it.”

Chasing Chun is a trio of golfers including Mo Martin, Brittany Lincicome, and Marina Alex.

Martin and Lincicome went out early on Friday, and Martin’s 4-under-par 67 included a stretch of four birdies in six holes on her back nine, while Lincicome birdied two of her first four holes to get her day off to a fine start.

“The whole day was good,” said Lincicome, whose clubs didn’t arrive in Ottawa until a day after she did following last week’s Solheim Cup. “I'm driving the ball pretty well. Some of these holes out here there are a lot of bunkers that are right in my way, right in my landing zone, so we're kind of being a little more aggressive than I feel like we probably should be. But so far since I'm driving it well, we're just going to keep doing it. I obviously have a lot more wedges in my hands than most girls, so I need to take advantage of those.” 

Martin admitted her finish was definitely something positive as she heads into the weekend, but she also has a unique Canadian connection that she said might have had something to do with her success through two rounds. 

“Super-solid finish. It's nice that things are coming together. I think I've been playing better than I've been scoring this summer, so nice to see those things connect. I had a great two weeks off. Had a good time with my family and some good friends, so that was rejuvenating,” she said. “It's good to be back in Canada too. My grandmother's French-Canadian, so even though I didn't know her and I never met her, there is a piece of me that's at home here.”

A shot further back is a group of seven golfers at 5-under including both Cristie Kerr and So Yeon Ryu, who played Thursday and Friday with hometown hero Brooke Henderson. 

Nicole Broch Larsen, Sherman Santiwiwatthanaphong, Holly Clyburn and Solheim Cupper Stacy Lewis rounded out the group just three shots back of the lead.

A foursome of golfers is a shot further back, at 4-under, including Sarah Jane Smith, Beatriz Recari, Sung Hyun Park, Shanshan Feng, and Jennifer Song, who holed out for eagle on the par-4 14th from 136 yards. 

“I was just trying to decide if there was a breeze or not. Thankfully I had the right club and I hit it pretty perfect,” said Song. “I didn't get to see the ball go in the hole because I was on the left side, but the crowd screamed, so obviously I knew it was something good there.”

Brittany Marchand, who has won her last two professional starts, including the PHC Classic on the Epson Tour, sits as Low Canadian through two rounds, at 2-under par after a 4-under-par 67 on Friday. 

Henderson was on the cusp of missing the cut at her home course – she’s a member at the Ottawa Hunt & Golf Club – but after making three birdies in a stretch of four holes after making the turn, she got things into red figures for the day and finished at 1-over, making the cut on the number.

She said now that she has made the cut, she could concentrate on making a move on the weekend. 

“I feel like I've handled it pretty well so far. I think now that the cut is kind of over with, I can focus on my game and try to shoot maybe 4 or 5-under these next two (rounds) and see if I can be in the top 10 or just climb that leaderboard a little bit more,” she explained. “I can still try to get my best finish ever at the Canadian Open, which was last year, and that’s probably my main goal going into tomorrow.” 

The cut ended up at 1-over, which was the second-highest cut of the year for a non-major on the LPGA Tour (the ShopRite LPGA Classic presented by Acer had a cut of 3-over earlier this year).