KAPOLEI, Hawaii (AP) — Nelly Korda birdied four of her final five holes Thursday to take a two-shot lead over defending champion Brooke Henderson midway through the second round of the Lotte Championship.
Korda and Henderson each shot 4-under 68 at breezy Ko Olina Golf Club. At 13-under 131, Korda broke the tournament 36-hole record by three shots.
The 20-year-old Korda won the Women’s Australian Open in February for her second LPGA Tour title. She opened the season with five straight top-10 finishes before tying for 52nd two weeks ago in the major ANA Inspiration.
Eun-Hee Ji, a stroke behind Korda after a first-round 64, was in the afternoon group.
Michelle Wie shot her second straight 77, leaving her last in the 144-player field after the morning wave. The 2014 winner in her home event, she has struggled with pain in her right hand following offseason surgery.
