Ko & Two Others Share Halfway Lead at Women's Australian Open


Lydia Ko soared to the top of the leaderboard in the Women's Australian Open thanks to a 3-under 70 at Royal Melbourne. The 17-year-old New Zealander is joined at 6-under 140 by Thailand's Ariya Jutanugarn (71) and South Korean Jang Ha Na (69).

Ko, the top-ranked player in women's golf, posted three birdies, an eagle and two bogeys. Her round was highlighted by the eagle after she holed out from 135 yards on the par-4 15th.

Ko said she was mad at herself for carding a par on the previous hole, the par-5 14th, before arriving at the next hole. "That anger led me to hit an aggressive drive on the 15th," she said. "I was so upset from the hole before that I gambled.

"A little bit of anger is good because it lets the steam out, whereas sometimes I've had experiences where I've kept it in and it's definitely not helped me."

Two strokes behind the co-leaders is England's Charley Hull, who posted her second straight 71, while trailing by three are American Jessica Korda (71) and South Korean Amy Yang (70).

Hull said if she could do better on the greens her job would become much easier. "I had a couple of three-putts . . . It's just a learning experience for me," noted the 18-year-old rookie. "Sometimes I can get a bit ahead of myself and do silly stuff like that. But then I feel I concentrate well afterwards and try and get them back."

Alone in seventh at 144 is France's Gwladys Nocera (73), while tied for eighth at 145 are Melissa Reid, Marion Ricordeau, Katherine Kirk, Julieta Granada, Christina Kim and Mi Hyang Lee.

First-round leader Ilhee Lee had a tough day. After opening with a 68, the 26-year-old stumbled to a 9-over 82 to drop into a tie for 51st at 150.

The cut was just a stroke higher at 151. Despite a 78 Friday, defending champion Karrie Webb qualified for the weekend right on the number.

The $1.2 million is co-sanctioned by the LPGA Tour. For al the scores, visit http://alpg.com.au/tournament.php?id=2375&pid=1150&sec=lb.