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A18 SPORTS
Saturday 1 July 2017
Kang lea+ds in hunt for first pro win _ and it would be major

By JIM LITKE So Yeon Ryu (68), who of 14 fairways and hasn’t
AP Sports Writer climbed to No. 1 in the made a bogey through 36
OLYMPIA FIELDS, Ill. (AP) world ranking after a vic- holes.
— Danielle Kang won tory last week and won Kim carved her path up
back-to-back majors as an the LPGA Tour’s first major the leaderboard with a
amateur yet she’s never of the season, was in the closing flourish, making
cracked the winner’s circle clubhouse at 5 under along three birdies in her last five
in her half-dozen years as a with Moriya Jutanugarn holes. They came on the
pro. (68) and Sarah Jane Smith tougher front-nine side,
The 24-year-old Californian (67). Lydia Ko shot 68 to put though players caught a
took a big step in the right herself back in contention break as the swirling wind
direction, grabbing a share at 4 under. Kang, the U.S. that made club selection
of the second-round lead Women’s Amateur cham- dicey Thursday subsided in
in the morning wave Thurs- pion in 2010-11, conceded round two.
day at the KPMG Women’s she didn’t have a game “Fortunately, when I tee off
PGA Championship. Her plan after her last practice a little less windy,” Kim said,
biggest hurdle could well round at Olympia Fields “so I was able to attack the
be co-leader Sei Young Country Club, one of sev- pin.”
Kim, the LPGA Tour’s 2015 eral venues that previously The KPMG kicks off a stretch
Rookie of the Year and al- hosted men’s majors now of three majors in six weeks
ready a six-time winner on being tested by the wom- and Ryu could cement her
tour. en. new No. 1 status by add-
Kang and Kim each shot “I kind of was super-over- ing a second major to the
5-under 66 to reach 7-un- whelmed and didn’t know one she claimed in May by
der 135 what to do,” she said. “So I beating Lexi Thompson in a
First-round leader Amy called my brother, Alex, of playoff at the ANA Inspira-
Yang (71) and Jodi Ewart course.” tion. The LPGA Tour staged
Shadoff (66) were another Alex Kang, who plies his a brief celebration as she
stroke back. trade on the Web.com teed off Thursday, draping
Tour, was familiar with her caddie, Tom Watson, in
Danielle Kang watches her Olympia Fields and its a special green bib.
approach shot on the 10th bunkers, and he gave her “The ceremony made me
fairway during the second some simple advice. more nervous,” Ryu said.
round of the Women’s PGA “He goes, ‘Just blast it “No. 1, I thought it’s a lot
Championship golf tourna- down,’” she recalled. The of responsibility and it just
ment at Olympia Fields Coun- plan worked as Kang, re- gave me a lot of pressure.
try Club Friday, June 30, 2017,
in Olympia Fields, Ill. lying on her driver, hit 11 I finally got relaxed a bit
more and just played as
normal.”
Yang was on the 18th fair-
way a day earlier when
play was suspended be-
cause of lightning. She re-
turned just before 8 a.m.
to complete her first round
and made a birdie for a 65.
Although she got to 7 un-
der, she couldn’t hold it.
Defending champion
Brooke Henderson and
2014 U.S. Women’s Open
champion Michelle Wie
played in the afternoon.
Kelly Shon, who opened
with a 77, notched the
low round of the tourna-
ment and tied a competi-
tive course record with a
63. The former Princeton
player made six birdies
and an eagle without a
bogey, placing her name
in the Olympia Fields re-
cord book alongside Patty
Sheehan and Meg Mallon
and Rickie Fowler and Vi-
jay Singh (who played the
course with a par of 70).
“I wish I’d known I could
have beat them all by one
shot,” she said, adding
quickly, “I’m just kidding.”q