Allisen Corpuz, Angel Yin take lead at Chevron Championship

HOUSTON – Angel Yin and Allisen Corpuz shot matching five-under 67s to vault into the lead by one stroke at the Chevron Championship in The Woodlands, Texas, on Saturday.

The American pair sit at 10-under 206 after 54 holes of the LPGA’s first Major of the season.

Corpuz said she has felt comfortable this week and knows Yin well for their final-pairing Sunday match-up.

Said Corpuz: “I’ve just been trying to tell myself, ‘Get more comfortable in contention. Just keep learning from every experience’.”

With Friday’s action suspended due to darkness, 31 golfers returned to the course early to finish their second rounds at the Jack Nicklaus Signature Course at The Club at Carlton Woods.

South Korean Amy Yang fired a 65 to jump 22 spots up the leaderboard and into a tie for third at nine under.

She is joined by American Megan Khang (70 on Saturday) and Albane Valenzuela (68) of Switzerland.

Second-round leader Kim A-lim of South Korea shot a 72 and fell into a tie for sixth at eight under with three other players – Nelly Korda (70) and South Koreans Kim Hyo-joo (68) and Choi Hye-jin (67).

Thailand’s Atthaya Thitikul (68) sits solo in 10th spot, three shots back at seven under.

South Africa’s Ashleigh Buhai (66) and American Lilia Vu (73) are within striking distance at six under in a tie for 11th.

Corpuz turned in a bogey-free round, posting birdies on four of her first five holes. She added another on the par-five 13th for her 67. Turning in a clean card was not easy, she said.

“I think it’s a pretty tough course but I also think, if you’re just making sure your misses are in the right spot, it’s doable,” she said. “I wouldn’t say it’s easy, but it’s out there.”

Yin posted an early bogey but carded six birdies for her round, including three of her final four holes.

She was one of the players who had to complete her second round early on Saturday, carding a second-round 70.

“I started out really early,” she said. “I was walking down 16, I was like, ‘Wow, I feel like I’ve been here before.’ Oh, I did. I was just here this morning. I think it really helped me warm up my body early in the morning.

“Though I’m tired, my body has been like swinging, turning around since seven in the morning. I think it really helped.”

Yin, in only her third start of the year, has not managed a top-10 LPGA finish since sharing third in last May’s Founders Cup.

But the 24-year-old was the 2019 US Women’s Open runner-up and captured a Ladies European Tour victory at Dubai in 2017.

The round of the day went to Yang, who put herself within striking distance with eight birdies against just one bogey.

“They were all good birdies,” she said. “Like every one of them was a solid shot, and putting was – I felt like everything was in sync out there today.

“It just gave me good momentum throughout the round.”
REUTERS, AFP