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A18 SPORTS
Saturday 6 april 2019

In-Kyung Kim

Continued from Page 17 portunities, but in the after-
noon when the wind blows
Kim struggled with the loss on the back nine you can’t
before finally ending a long really be too aggressive to
victory drought late in the the flag.”
2016 season in China. Her She played alongside Hall
confidence renewed, she of Famer Juli Inkster in the
won three times the follow- first two rounds.
ing year, capped by a ma- “It’s my privilege to play
jor victory in the Women’s with Juli,” Kim said. “Always
British Open at Kingsbarns. you learn something. I love
“Sometimes winning is her competitiveness and I
great, but for me as an ath- really look up to her. I think
lete, you want to see some being around her made
progress in your game,” Kim me feel comfortable as
said. “That’s what I’m fo- well.”
cusing on at the moment. Katherine Kirk was second,
That gives me joy. Anything bogeying the final two
else really is just a bonus, an holes in a 68.
extra.” “Really great front nine and
On Friday on the tree-lined then back nine got a little
Mission Hills layout tough- bit tougher,” Kirk said. “Ob-
ened by thick, dewy rough, viously, finishing bogey- Ally McDonald watches her tee shot on the 12th hole during the second round of the LPGA Tour
tighter fairways and some bogey is a bit disappoint- ANA Inspiration golf tournament at Mission Hills Country Club Friday, April 5, 2019, in Rancho
longer holes, Kim birdied all ing, but I’m happy with Mirage, Calif.
four of the par-5 holes and the score. Lots of positives, Associated Press
played a nine-hole stretch so looking forward to the First-round leader Ally Mc- shots out there,” said Park, The 58-year-old Inkster
in the middle of the round weekend.” Donald followed her open- the Singapore winner early matched Kim with a clos-
in 6 under. After three-put- The 37-year-old Australian ing 68 in the wind Thursday last month. “Putts weren’t ing birdie, hitting a wedge
ting the par-4 seventh for won the last of her three afternoon with a 72 to re- dropping as well as I want to a foot on No. 9. She shot
her first bogey in 25 holes, tour titles in 2017. main at 4 under. them to.” 77-75 to miss the cut.
she saved par on the par- “I think my best golf is still “Today was really just one Lexi Thompson, Jin Young Michelle Wie also failed to
3 eighth with an 8-footer ahead of me, which is nice of those grinding days,” Ko and Hyo Joo Kim, a advance to the weekend,
and closed the round with to say at 37,” Kirk said. “All McDonald said. stroke back after the first shooting 74-75. She made
an 8-foot birdie putt on the the experience, too, that I Top-ranked Sung Hyun Park round, were in the after- her first tour start since with-
par-4 ninth. have had, I can use to that had a bogey-free 70 to join noon session along with drawing during the first
“I had makeable putts that my advantage or at least Charley Hull (69) and Jing Jessica Korda, Lydia Ko round of her Singapore title
went in,” Kim said. “Yester- try to use it to my advan- Yan (71) at 3 under. and Angel Yin. Thompson defense because of pain in
day, I also had a lot of op- tage.” “I still feel like I left a lot of won the 2014 title. her right hand.q

Si Woo Kim leads by 4 after 2nd round at Valero Texas Open

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Rick- change anything.” the ace. made birdie putts of 43 out from 113 yards for an
ie Fowler and Jordan Spieth Fowler led on the back nine “I was trying to hit to the left feet, 10 feet and 25 feet. eagle on his 17th hole. Earli-
are successfully fine-tuning until consecutive bogeys edge of the bunker, with But he three-putted from 23 er in the day, he chipped in
their preparations for the late in the round. the wind,” Kim said. “It was feet at the 15th and barely from off his second green.
Masters. “Yeah, at 15 and 16, kind a 9-iron. I saw the bounce, got out of a greenside bun- “I just slid under the ball re-
However, they haven’t of a little unforced errors,” but I never saw it go in.” ker on the 16th, leaving a ally nicely on that chip shot,
been able to match Si Woo Fowler said. Byeong Hun An (68), Matt chip and putt for another landed right on my spot,
Kim so far at the Valero Tex- “That happens. I hit some Jones (68), Rory Sabbatini bogey. just trickled in,” Spieth said.
as Open. good shots out there and (68), Scott Stallings (69), Bri- “At 16, I actually hit a great “Certainly a bonus on the
First-round leader Kim used made a few putts. I’m an Stuard (70), Josh Teater tee shot,” Fowler said. “I hole out. In the air, I thought
a late-round hole-in-one happy with it. Obviously in (68) and Jim Knous (67) are was just expecting the wind it was going to be pretty
Friday to build a four-shot a good spot going into the 7 under. to hold it a bit better, and good.”
lead at the halfway point weekend.” Graeme McDowell, who obviously it didn’t.” Kim surged to a two-shot
of the PGA Tour’s last stop Joining Fowler and Spi- won for the first time since He got a stroke back with lead when he chipped to
before the Masters. eth — both shot 68 — are 2015 last week at the PGA a birdie at the 17th, but his a foot away on the par-5
Kim, the 2017 Players Cham- Harold Varner (66), Adam Tour’s event in the Do- attempt to reach the par-5 14th hole and tapped in
pionship winner, led by one Schenk (66), Kyoung-Hoon minican Republic, has shot 18th in two landed him in a for birdie. He got up-and-
heading into the second Lee (67) and Monday-qual- consecutive 69s and is stream in front of the green. down from a bunker at the
round before shooting a ifier Corey Connors (67). joined at 6 under by Scott He chipped up and finished 15th, putting from almost
6-under 66. Lee got it to 9 under before Brown, Hank Lebioda, Ryan with a par. 10 feet to save par. He
Kim aced TPC San Anto- a bogey at his final hole of Moore and Jhonattan Ve- Spieth had no late-round wouldn’t need the putter
nio’s 16th hole and is 12 the day. gas. Brown had a 67, Leb- hiccups. Instead, he holed on the 16th.q
under through 36 holes. He Kim’s ace at the 167-yard ioda and Moore 70s and
leads six players at 8 under, 16th bounced up toward Vegas a 71.
including Fowler and Spi- the flagstick, landed next Fowler, who drove the
eth. to the lip of the cup and green at the 327-yard fifth
“The first days here,” Kim dropped in. He’s gone 26 hole and eagled, held a
said, “I’ve been feel- holes without a bogey and lead early on the back
ing good. I don’t want to has nine birdies along with nine. After the eagle, he linda.reijnders@cspnv.com