CME Group Tour Championship: Nelly Korda and Charley Hull move into contention at LPGA Tour’s season finale
Angek Yin made six birdies, three bogeys and clutch par putts on the last two holes in windy conditions to stand on 10-under 134 after 36 holes.
Angel Yin avoided a penalty to fire a three-under-par 69 and grab a two-stroke lead while top-ranked Nelly Korda jumped into contention after Friday’s second round of the LPGA Tour Championship.
Yin, a 26-year-old American, made six birdies, three bogeys and clutch par putts on the last two holes in windy conditions to stand on 10-under 134 after 36 holes at Tiburon Golf Club in Naples, Florida.
Her score withstood a penalty inquiry as after the round, LPGA rules officials told Yin of a possible violation for an improper drop on the fourth hole.
Yin’s second shot at the fourth hole, where she made a bogey, went into the water. She looked for the ball on a slope near the green where she thought it might have landed.
“They wanted to ask me about the process of the drop and if I used all my resources to come to a determination of where I crossed (the water hazard) and took my drop,” Yin said.
“It looked like I took an improper drop where I went up closer than I should have. They thought I didn’t take the drop properly. I explained to them I believe I did take the drop properly. I asked everybody and everybody was in agreement of it. I told them how I hit the shot, where it flew, and that’s where I came to the determination of where I dropped,” she added.
No penalty was issued.
“We just had to clarify it. Everybody is trying to do their best. I don’t think it’s anything with anyone. Everyone is trying to hold up integrity,” Yin said.
South Korea’s Choi Hye-jin fired a bogey-free 68 to share second on 136 with compatriot An Na-rin, the first-day leader after an opening 64.
