PORTLAND, Ore. — Andrea Lee took the lead Saturday in a bid for her second Portland Basic victory in three seasons, taking pictures a 5-under 67 for a one-stroke benefit over Dewi Weber and Alexa Pano.
Lee rebounded from a gap bogey to birdie 5 of the following eight holes in calm circumstances at Columbia Edgewater. She added a birdie on the par-5 twelfth to get to 19 underneath and closed with six pars.
“I simply acquired to stay to my sport plan, attempt to birdie the par 5s, and possibly a few of the simpler holes and gap areas,” Lee mentioned. “You simply acquired to remain actually affected person on the market and know that putts are going to ultimately fall my approach.”
The 25-year-old American gained the 2022 occasion on the tree-lined course for her lone LPGA Tour title.
“Clearly, I like this golf course,” Lee mentioned. “I really feel actually comfy out right here. Had a extremely strong day. Simply performed actually regular golf. Managed to get some putts to drop on the entrance 9.”
Weber, the second-round chief after a 62, chipped in for birdie on the par-4 seventeenth in a 70. She’s making an attempt to win for the primary time on the LPGA Tour and ship an announcement to the Dutch Olympic committee that it made a mistake by declining to ship her to Paris.
“I simply acquired to make good swings, good strokes, not under-read the putts and like see in the event that they go in,” mentioned Weber, making solely her second LPGA Tour begin of the 12 months. “That’s actually all I can do.”
She certified for the Olympics underneath Worldwide Golf Federation requirements, however was unnoticed due to the Netherlands’ separate requirements for all sports activities to fulfill a sensible probability of a top-eight end.
Pano shot 66. Final 12 months on her nineteenth birthday, she gained the ISPS Handa World Invitational in a playoff in Northern Eire for her first LPGA Tour title.
“Once I gained, undoubtedly, it was having to make a variety of birdies and it’s going to be the identical form of factor tomorrow,” Pano mentioned. “Simply try to get a few of that magic from final 12 months.”
Angel Yin (66) and first-round chief Polly Mack (69) have been 17 underneath, a stroke forward of Moriya Jutanugarn (64), Nataliya Guseva (67) and So Mi Lee (67).
“Course is pure,” Yin mentioned. “Simply making an attempt to make some birdies, play some good golf, as a result of I do know it’s going to be on the market and the chief goes to maintain going. I’m simply making an attempt to chase.”
Lauren Coughlin, the CPKC Girls’s Open winner final week in Calgary, Alberta, was 15 underneath after a 66.
With the Olympics subsequent week, nobody from the highest 30 on the earth rating is within the discipline. The lone Olympian within the discipline is Aditi Ashok of India. She was tied for twelfth at 14 underneath after a 65.
Defending champion Chanettee Wannasaen had a 68 to get to 10 underneath. She gained the Dana Open two weeks in the past in Ohio for her second LPGA Tour title.
