MAINVILLE, Ohio — Chanet Wannasaan held a two-shot lead at the Kroger Queen City Championship on Friday, with top-ranked Thai stars Jeeno Thitikul and Charley Hull making a big move.
Wannasaen, a 21-year-old player who is about to win the LPGA Tour for the third consecutive year, shot a 4-under 68 at the Soggy TPC River’s Bend, reaching 13 under 131. She opened at 63.
“I want you to play like this,” Wanasaan said. “I’m not thinking about the score. I just want a hit driver like this, I’m going to hit the irons like this. I just want to enjoy golf again.”
Thitikul and Hull were tied second to Olivia Cowan.
Wanasaan drilled a hole in the Eagle on par 4 for the second day in a row. This time it’s her fourth hole on the 13th. She did it to 10th in the first round.
“Just the same, but I wasn’t like a ball in,” she said.
Thitikul, 22, has 64 people and has made four straight birdies with a back nine 30. She won her fifth LPGA Tour at the Liberty National at Mizuho Americas in June.
“I think we’re definitely trying to make a putt here,” Chitickle said. “I mean, like green, it’s not easy. It’s very slow. And you really need to judge the putt completely to roll it into the hole.”
Hal eagled par 5 11th and birded the final two holes for 65. The British athlete finished runner-up in Houston as part of the Aramco series on the Women’s European Tour.
“I’m just firing with a pin,” Hal said. “I like going to Pin, otherwise I think it would be boring.”
Cowan, a German native, has 65 Hal. Matched with MajaStark (66), Sei Young Kim (68), and Gigi Stoll (69).
Second ranked Nelly Corda was 9 under the age of 68 and led the group. She won’t win this season.
“You really need to keep yourself aggressive,” Korda said. “The greens are pretty soft so you can do it, but hitting the fairway and hitting the green is the key to having a putt in the end.”
Defending champion Lydiaco shot a 69 and went 5 under.
Allison Lee gave birth to a boy in April and shot 76-73 before missing the cut in the first event.
