Jing Yan fired a bogey-free 6-under-par 66 on Friday to climb into the lead midway through the LPGA Meijer Classic in Belmont, Mich.
Yan sits at 10 under 134 through 36 holes at Blythefield Country Club, which gives her a 1-shot edge over England’s Lottie Woad and Australia’s Cassie Porter.
China’s Yan Liu, who owned a 1-shot lead after the first round, dropped into a fourth-place tie with South Korea’s Minja Kang. Liu posted a 70 to fall two shots behind Yan.
Yan surged to the top by producing birdies on four of the course’s five par-5s. She started on the back nine Friday, so her birdie at the par-5 No. 8 represented her sixth and final birdie of the day.
“No. 8 has become much longer throughout the years and much more tight,” Yan said. “With the wind helping the last two days I can get there with a 3-wood. … So we have some gettable par-5s on this course and there is five of them, so better try and capitalize while you can.”
Leading a tournament is a relatively rare experience for Yan. The 30-year-old joined the LPGA Tour in 2015, but still awaits her first title. She has registered seven top-10 finishes for her career, including a tie for ninth in April at the JM Eagle LA Championship.
“I feel like it’s better to just play your game and try not think about it too much,” Yan said. “But at the same time, learn to embrace it a little bit if you’re nervy or struggle with that.”
Woad matched Yan’s 66 on Friday with a bogey-free jaunt, though she only registered birdies on three of the five par-5s.
“They’re pretty gettable on this course, but they can also catch you out, too,” Woad said. “There are some tough tee shots in there. So I’ve hit the fairways on pretty much all of them, so I think that’s probably been the key.”
Japan’s Rio Takeda and Canada’s Brooke M. Henderson authored the day’s other 66s. Kang aced the par-3 15th and then birdied her final three holes to climb within two shots of Yan.
“It’s my fourth hole-in-one, actually,” Kang said. “The last one was actually two years ago on hole (No.) 11 on this course.”
The cut line fell at 2 under, which left Thailand’s Jeeno Thitikul on the wrong side. The world’s No. 2-ranked player went 74-70 to finish in a tie for 81st place.
