For the third consecutive week it’s the wind that is once again testing players on the LPGA Tour.
Swirling winds and cool temperatures greeted players early on day two of the Yokohama Tire LPGA Classic at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail in Prattville, Ala. Minjee Lee was able to scramble her way to the top of the leaderboard with a two-under par, 70 on Friday to move to seven-under par. Lee hit just 9 of 14 fairways and 14 of 18 greens on day two.
“I think the wind direction was a little bit different. I feel like I had more, maybe crosswinds and not as many downwind holes, so it makes it a little more trickier, but, yeah, all in all, I think I played pretty solid,” Lee told the media. “Yeah, definitely in these conditions I think being patient is very important, but ‑‑ yeah, I mean, it's not just like your shots, it's also on the putting green. You can miss a whole lot and you can make a whole lot, so just being patient. “
Annie Park moved to 6-under par early on day two with a second round one-under par, 71 that left the rookie feeling like she could have done more, especially on the greens, making it around in 31 putts on Friday.
“Shots were great, putts weren't really falling, so I had some really good shots but then left some putts out there, but there were some trees and some fast putts out, but, I mean, overall it was actually not ‑‑ it was pretty good out there,” Park told the media.
Brittany Lincicome, Stacy Lewis, Amy Yang, Gerina Piller, Paula Reto and Ariya Jutanugarn are 5-under par early on day two. 2012 champion Stacy Lewis closed out her round with back-to-back birdies to post a four-under par, 68.
“If the wind stays up it's going to stay hard. I don't think you're going to see ‑‑ you know, we've seen a lot of 63s, 64s in years past, but the golf course is just playing a lot different with this wind, so it's going to keep the scores close, which is good for me, and the position I'm in right now,” said Lewis.
The two-time Rolex Player of the Year is in the hunt for her first win since 2014 on a track where she has consistently played well, having not finished outside the top-6 in her last four showings. She has three top-10 finishes this season including a tie for second at the season opening Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic.
“I mean, it's always nice to finish that way, just to see ‑‑ to be able to pull shots off when you need 'em. I mean, that's the biggest thing I've needed over the last couple of months, so I'm finally starting to hit shots when I need to and hitting the right ones at the right time, and it's nice to be in the mix and see your name on the leaderboard,” Lewis said.
Gerina Piller finds herself once again near the top of the leaderboard, taking advantage of her length off the tee to card a four-under par, 68 to move to 5-under par for the Tournament.
“Yeah, obviously you can cut some corners and fly some of the bunkers that maybe some of the other girls have to try to avoid, so it's definitely an advantage for us,” Piller said about the longer hitters like herself on Tour. “I'm really confident, hitting the ball well, and, you know, just ‑‑ I feel like me and my caddie are doing some good work out there.”
Piller is still in search of her first win on Tour but has come close in recent weeks, posting four consecutive top-6 finishes including a share of second last week in Texas.
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