By ,
Published January 13, 2015
Inbee Park fired a 5-under-par 65 on Friday and grabbed a share of the lead through two rounds of the Canadian Women's Open.
The world No. 1 Park, who has won three majors this season, sits at 8-under- par 132 through 36 holes at Royal Mayfair Golf Club.
Cristie Kerr shot 66 to join Park atop the leaderboard, while overnight co- leader Angela Stanford carded a 68 and dropped into a tie for third place with European Solheim Cup team member Karine Icher (66) at 7-under.
"I hit the ball really good, and I obviously putted really good out there," said Park. "On these greens, you can 2-putt from anywhere. I think it's pretty good. If you slightly over-hit it, you can easily 3-putt. So the 3-putt is something that I was trying to avoid."
Defending champion Lydia Ko, who shared the first-round lead with Stanford and Cristel Boeljon, is tied for fifth place courtesy of her second-round 69. The 16-year-old amateur phenom sits at 6-under, alongside Paula Creamer (68) and Laura Davies (66).
Ko's playing Partner, 17-year-old Charley Hull (66), is tied for eighth with three others at 5-under.
Park, who is seeking her seventh LPGA Tour win of the season, got off to a flying start with birdies on her first two holes, then added gains at Nos. 4 and 7 during an outward 31.
"I always love to start with a birdie," she said. "It's like a good luck charm for me. I almost never finish a round over par when I start with a birdie, and I love to start the hole with a birdie. That was a good start."
The world No. 1 bogeyed the 11th, but recovered with a hat-trick of birdies from the 14th to reach 9-under. She bogeyed the last, but retained a share of the lead when her playing partner, Kerr, also dropped a shot at 18.
Kerr mixed a pair of birdies and a bogey on the front nine, then fired back- to-back birdies from the 10th to reach 7-under for the tournament. She added a gain at the 14th, then pulled even with Park courtesy of a birdie at No. 17.
"It's kind of both the same days," said Kerr. "I mean, geez, 4-under on this golf course is great. I'm mad at myself for knocking my last tee shot, but I did so much good stuff in the last couple days."
NOTES: Park is 2-for-2 this season when holding at least a share of the halfway lead ... Last year, Ko became the youngest winner in LPGA Tour history when she titled at this event as a 15-year-old. When Ko won this event last year, she became the first amateur to win on tour since Joanne Carner in 1969 ... Davies, a 20-time winner on the LPGA Tour, is seeking her first LPGA Tour victory since 2001 ... A total of 74 players made the cut, which fell at 2- over-par 142 ... World No. 2 Stacy Lewis withdrew after the first round due to illness ... Only one Canadian has won an LPGA event on home soil (Jocelyne Bourassa, 1973 LaCanadienne Golf Championship).
https://www.foxnews.com/sports/park-kerr-move-in-front-at-canadian-womens-open