GALLOWAY, N.J. — Su Bingju thrived in the wind whipping off the Atlantic Inlet on Friday, shooting a 3-under 68, capping it off with a long two-putt birdie on the 18th hole and watching his lead grow to four strokes by the end of a tough day at the ShopRite LPGA.
Zhu, whose only professional win was on the Epson Tour two years ago, finished with an 8-under 134 over two different rounds at the Seaview Hotel.
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“Today I barely made par on the golf course, but yesterday I was trying to get a birdie on every hole,” Zhu said. “We had a different game plan and a different mindset, and I think that put us in a good position today.”
Japanese twins Chizzy and Aki Iwai each shot a 68, and the group four strokes behind included France’s Celine Boutier (72), South Korea’s Somi Lee (69) and Israel’s Letitia Beck, who started one stroke behind but dropped to a 75.
“It was very windy today, so it was definitely very difficult to judge club selection and very difficult to putt,” Beck said. “That’s where I struggled a lot today. I just couldn’t make any putts.”
That didn’t matter to Joo, who hit only 25 putts. She only dropped one shot on the opening hole, but wondered if this was a sign of things to come.
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“I almost shanked my 3-wood on the first tee shot. I mean, it looked pretty bad because of the wind,” Zhu said. “I knew it was going to be played like a different golf course, a completely different golf course than yesterday, so I was just trying to stay calm mentally and physically.”
Not only did the wind make some holes on the Bay course play longer, but even the wind-assisted holes had distances difficult to judge.
Eight players failed to break 80 points, while 11 players failed to break 70 points, most of them in the morning before the winds started picking up.
Seventh place Charlie Hull, the only player in the world’s top 10, scored 74 points and then 75 points, but missed the cut. The ShopRite LPGA is one of two 54-hole LPGA tournaments.
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This area is on the weak side mainly due to scheduling. The New Jersey tournament comes one week before the U.S. Women’s Open at the Riviera in Los Angeles.
The cut was 3 over and 145.
Zhu is ranked 252nd in the world and his best success will come in the fall as he tries to regain his full card. She is now looking to win her first LPGA title with a four-stroke lead.
“I started playing golf because I wanted to win LPGA tournaments. It’s so much fun and so exciting,” she said. “But right now I just want to take a hot shower. It’s so cold, yes. Freezing.”
ShopRite LPGA Classic – Final Rd images
ShopRite LPGA Classic – Final Road
Watch the final round of the ShopRite LPGA Classic at the Seaviews Bay Course in Galloway, New Jersey
