LOW CUT RECORD

The buzz the first two days of the Manulife LPGA Classic has been the scoreable conditions at Whistle Bear Golf Club and players continued to put up low numbers during Friday’s second round. 70 players made the cut at 4-under 140 which sets a new all-time LPGA Tour record for low cut at a par 72 course. The previous record was 3-under par which happened on five previous occasions. The previous low cut this season was 2-under 142 at the JTBC Founders Cup at Wildfire Golf Club in Phoenix.

LPGA All-Time Record, Low 36-hole, par 72

GETTING CUT

140 (-4), 2015 Manulife LPGA Classic, Cambridge, Ontario, Can., 70 players, par 72 141 (-3), 1997 State Farm Rail Classic, Springfield, Ill., 70 players, par 72

141 (-3), 1998 State Farm Rail Classic, Springfield, Ill., 82 players, par 72

141 (-3), 2005 Wendy’s Championship for Children, Dublin, Ohio, 72 players, par 72 141 (-3), 2008 LPGA State Farm Classic, Springfield, Ill., 73 players, par 72

141 (-3), 2009 LPGA Corning Classic, Corning, NY, 73 players, par 72

Notable players to miss the cut include Brooke Henderson (-3), Stacy Lewis (-2), Morgan Pressel (-2 ), Azahara Munoz (-2), and Karrie Webb (-1). Lewis’ missed cut snaps a streak of 46 consecutive events that she has played the weekend since the Canadian Women’s Open in 2012, where she withdrew prior to the second round of play.

WILD’N OUT ON THE WEEKEND

Suzann Pettersen has a great track record when it comes to leading after 36 holes on the LPGA Tour. The Norwegian has led after the second round 13 times in her career and won eight of those times, including the last four occasions she’s led going into the weekend. The last time Pettersen held the 36-hole lead was at the 2013 Sunrise LPGA Taiwan Championship, her last victory on Tour.

KO’S MADE CUT STREAK CONTINUES

After a rough first day in Cambridge on Thursday, Rolex Rankings No. 1 Lydia Ko bounced back from a first-round 1-under, 71, with a bogey-free 4-under, 68. Ko’s second-round effort was good enough to get her inside the cut line which fell at 4-under par and extended her made cut streak to 53. Ko has made the cut in all 53 starts she has made on the LPGA Tour dating back to the 2012 Handa Women’s Australian Open. She birdied three of her last six holes to get to 5-under par.

The 18-year from New Zealand hasn’t been in her normal top-level form as of late and didn’t finish inside the top 15 in her two starts after her last win in San Francisco back in April. But Ko said she still feels very confident in her game, just that the numbers haven’t been showing up on the scorecard.

“I feel like I’m playing good enough but just the scores aren’t there,” said Ko.

“Kingsmill, I knew I played good but it’s just a couple under and that wasn’t going to cut it. Dallas, that was a whole different week. When I know and I have the confidence that, hey, I am playing good, it’s just the scores aren’t coming, I’ve just got to keep the head high and just be confident for the next two days.”

Since Ko has played on the weekend in every LPGA event she has played in, she didn’t exactly know what she would do with her days if she did have the time off. Rest and relaxation would be her best guess.

“I mean, two days off, I’ll take my break. It’s a long season,” said Ko. “And last year obviously was my rookie season so I feel like I was working harder last year and I tried to get to tournaments early, tried to do this. I still kind of do that but now I’m more like, okay, we need that break, that kind of refreshes it. I don’t know, next week’s a hard course so I might be there if I wasn’t playing.”

URIBE TIED FOR THE LEAD

Mariajo Uribe sits in a tie for the lead after following up an opening round 65 with a day two 66 to sit at 13-under for the week.

“Usually I don’t like courses that you have to go a lot really low, so I’m just having fun and stay patient and liking it,” Uribe admitted.

Uribe is tied for the lead after 36-holes for just the second time in her six year career. The last time Uribe was in the final group was the third round of the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open. She finished T8 in that event.

“I mean, I don’t really look at the leaderboard that much, especially this week,” Uribe explained. “People that are maybe 3 or 4 shots back can come back with a 10 under, 11 under, so I’ve just got to keep making birdies and see what’s the leading score at the end of the week.”

The Columbian is coming off consecutive top-20 finishes for the first time this season.

“I was working a little bit on my swing and swing changes are showing,” Uribe said. “My putting’s been pretty good the last two weeks. This week’s pretty nice, too. Today I had no bogeys so I’m really confident right now and hoping for a good finish this weekend.”

KERR STAYS IN THE MIX

Cristie Kerr kept herself in the hunt with a second round 69 to keep put her at 12-under for the week, one back of Suzann Pettersen and Mariajo Uribe.

“I thought I played very well, Kerr said. “I actually thought I hit it better today than I did yesterday. Had kind of a magical opening nine holes yesterday. Just got to try to play as good as I can on the weekend, just pay attention to my own game and my feels and what I’m trying to accomplish out here on every shot and try not to worry about anybody else.”

Kerr knows with how scoring has been this week at Whistle Bear that she will need to go low in order to capture her second win of the season and 18th of her career

“I think you’re going to have to make birdies to win this tournament,” Kerr said. “I think it’s whoever’s going to play the most consistently over four days doing that.”

LATE ACE NOT ENOUGH FOR MIN LEE

Min Lee stepped to the par-3 8th, her 17th hole of the day, needing to make something happen in order to make the cut.

“I just hit it and then I saw the ball bounce and roll, and all of a sudden it disappeared and I saw the people just hands up,” Lee said. “It was like, oh, God, made it. Because I was thinking I have to make an ace and then I made it, so I pretty excited.”

The ace was the third in Lee’s life but her first in competition.

“The first two I was practicing by myself, so it’s only my dad or my friend with me,” Lee explained. “And then I make it and the people celebrate for me, I was very happy because, you know, there’s people see it.”

Lee ended up at 3-under for the event and missed the cut by a stroke.

OF NOTE

Se Ri Pak withdrew after the second round due to a back injury. MJ Hur also withdrew during the second round due to a rib injury.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Just try to not thinking too much of outcomes. Like I say, try to like creating, like finding the way to get in the hole as fast as I can and not to worry about if I hit on the fairway or not because before I was trying to feel like, oh, I need to hit on the fairway. I just don’t care. It feel much better, you know. It’s easy to say, but actually you doing it, it actually feels pretty good.” - Yani Tseng on what’s led to her improved play

TV Times

Golf Channel

June 6 2:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

June 7 2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

All times listed are Eastern

News and Notes: Round Two Manulife LPGA Classic

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