Feng moves into top spot at ShopRite Classic

Galloway, New Jersey – Shanshan Feng battled the wind on Saturday to card a 4-under 67 and jump into the lead at the ShopRite Classic.

The weather conditions did not allow for much low scoring as Feng's 67 matched the low round of the day. She finished 36 holes at Stockton Seaview Hotel and Golf Club at 6-under-par 136 and will try for her second career LPGA victory on Sunday.

First-round co-leader and current frontrunner for Rookie of the Year, Moriya Jutanugarn, tripped to a 2-over 73 during her second round to fall into a tie with Haeji Kang (69) for second place at 3-under.

Chie Arimura (67) and Anna Nordqvist (68) shared fourth place at 2-under, while Jutanugarn's co-leader Amanda Blumenherst fell into a part of sixth place following her 4-over 75.

Blumenherst is joined at minus-1 by Karine Icher (67), Karrie Webb (69), Hee Young Park (72) and Michelle Wie (73).

"The wind is crazy," Blumenherst said. "It even made putting difficult. Definitely changed some targets for sure out there and made several holes much shorter and several holes much longer. So it was a challenging day, and just had to really stay patient."

Feng hit the course with one of the earlier groups before the wind, which reached gusts of up to 25 miles per hour, had really started to blow and took advantage of the calmer conditions with four straight birdies from the 14th -- her fifth -- to move to 6-under and take the outright lead.

A bogey at the 18th dropped her back into a tie for first with Jutanugarn and Blumenherst, but she recovered with back-to-back gains at the second and third to pull ahead by two strokes.

After parring the next three holes, she tripped to a bogey at the seventh and closed with two straight pars to hit the clubhouse with the lead at 6-under.

"I think because I started early today, it wasn't as windy in the morning," said Feng. "So that's why I made four birdies in a row. And then I think the back nine, the wind started to pick up a little bit, which it was harder to get the balls close to the pins."

Feng was only met atop the leaderboard once, when Jutanugarn birdied the 12th -- her third -- to reach 6-under.

But the 18-year-old would trip to bogeys at the 14th and 18th to fall two strokes off the pace.

Jutanugarn then traded another bogey at the second with a birdie at the third before dropping another shot at the seventh to finish at 3-under.

Kang also took advantage of teeing off with the early groups and rolled through her round with birdies at the third, 12th and 13th around a bogey at the sixth to move into contention entering the final round.

NOTES: I.K. Kim was the lone member of the afternoon groups to post a score under par with a 1-under 70. She is currently tied for 11th place at even-par 142 ... World No. 2 Stacy Lewis struggled in the windy conditions and carded a 9-over 80, which tied the highest round of her career ... Only 18 players posted a round under par on Saturday ... The cut line was set at 6-over 148, with 74 players advancing to the weekend. It is the highest cut in relation to par 71 on the LPGA Tour this season.