Pettersen extends lead at Taiwan
Suzann Pettersen extended her lead at the Sunrise LPGA Taiwan Championship in Yang Mei, Taoyuan, Taiwan, by firing a 3-under 69 in the second round Friday.
The Norwegian carded an eagle, two birdies and one bogey to take a five-stroke lead over South Korean Sun Young Yoo and Spaniard Carlota Ciganda as she looks to defend her title.
Pettersen used a pitching wedge from 133 yards for a hole-in-one at the par-3 second -- her third ace on the LPGA Tour.
"I called the shot, I hit it exactly how I wanted and was fortunate enough that I had a good break," Pettersen said. "It was a very good shot. It's nice to get a hole-in-one when you actually call the shot in advance and then pull the trigger."
After that, Pettersen had six straight pars on the front nine of Sunrise Golf & Country Club before carding her first birdie at the par-5 ninth. She started the back nine at 3-under. Her first bogey of the round at No. 14 did not slow her down as she got back to 7-under for the tournament with a birdie at the par-5 18th.
Pettersen was the only one in the 78-player field to record two below-par rounds due to swirling winds that made scoring conditions difficult.
"So today was a really tough day," she said. "The wind got stronger and stronger and it's definitely not easy out there. The wind and the conditions test every aspect of the game. I mean, even an 80-yard shot it's challenging enough to control the spin and know what the ball is going to do. Standing over putts, you feel the wind on the body. It's a mental test out there but it's a fun challenge. I've been playing really solid golf, and I'm excited to be where I'm at after two days."
