Rose takes 1-shot lead after second round in Hong Kong
Justin Rose shot a 4-under 66 to grab a one-shot lead after the second round of the Hong Kong Open Friday despite making his first bogey of the tournament on the penultimate hole.
Rose was on his way to a second straight error-free performance at the Fanling Course but bounced back from his late bogey with a birdie at the last hole to move to 9-under 131.
”I’m in a wonderful position going into the weekend,” Rose said. “I played a clean round yesterday but today it was a bit more of a struggle and I made a few mistakes and was happy to salvage par quite a few times.”
Lucas Bjerregaard of Denmark shot a second consecutive 66 to sit in second place, with Ian Poulter and Lu Wei-chih another shot behind at the jointly-sanctioned European Tour and the Asian Tour event.
Wheatcroft steady: Steve Wheatcroft shot a 1-under-par 70 and was in a tie for 27th place midway through the second round at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in Las Vegas. The Washington native is at 5-under for the tournament and in good position to make the cut.
Eun-hee takes lead in LPGA event: Ji Eun-hee took a one-stroke lead over Lydia Ko Friday in the LPGA Taiwan Championship, overcoming back pain and a double bogey in windy and rainy conditions.
The 29-year-old South Korean player finished with a 3-under 69 to reach 9-under 135 at Miramar. She made the double bogey on the par-5 sixth after hitting hooking her drive out of bounds, rallied with birdies on Nos. 9-11 and closed with seven straight pars. Ji won the 2008 LPGA Championship and 2009 U.S. Women’s Open, both majors, for her lone LPGA Tour titles.
The second-ranked Ko birdied the par-5 18th for a 67. The 18-year-old New Zealander is trying to regain the No. 1 spot in the world from South Korea’s Inbee Park, the winner last year at Miramar. Park is skipping her title defense to play in a Korea LPGA event, where she dropped into a tie for seventh Friday.
England’s Charley Hull and China’s Lin Xi-yu, both 19, were tied for third at 7 under.
Hull shot a 69, and Lin had a 70.