Pettersen Up by One in Hawaii


Suzann Pettersen followed up her opening 7-under 65 with a 69 Friday to take a one-stroke lead after 36 holes of the LPGA Lotte Championship. The $1.7 million event teed off Wednesday - with a Saturday finish - at the 6,383-yard Ko Olina Golf Club in Kopolei on the island of Oahu in Hawaii.

The 32-year-old Norwegian carded four birdies and a bogey to reach 10-under 134, one shot ahead of defending champion Ai Miyazato, who shot a 68.

The Ko Olina course played tougher in the second round as shifting winds whipped across the course, causing Pettersen to dial back her aggressiveness. "I said, 'Par isn't going to hurt me today,'" she said. "So, decent day. It was tough. It was tough to play solid golf. It was tough to kind of get the right club to my hand at all times.

"Overall, it's been very fair conditions to the entire field today," Pettersen added. "I think it was blowing quite hard in the early morning, and I think it's been pretty steady throughout the day. At least the entire field has kind of played under the same conditions. It was definitely pretty tough out there. The range is the most exposed part, so warming up was almost the toughest."

Spain's Beatriz Recari (70) and South Koreans Hyo Joo Kim (71) and Hee Kyung Seo (72) are tied for third at 7-under 137.

Reigning LPGA Tour Player of the Year Stacy Lewis had a 71 and is four shots behind Pettersen. First-round leader Ariya Jutanugarn opened with a 64 but posted a 75 to fall to 139 with five others.

Inbee Park, coming off a victory two weeks in the Kraft Nabisco Championship that helped her supplant Lewis as the No. 1-ranked player in women's golf, has shot rounds of 70 and 71.

American Danielle Kang was only two strokes behind Jutanugarn starting play after opening with a 66, but went 10 strokes higher Friday. Third-ranked Yani Tseng, who's looking for her first win in over a year, was at 1-under following after a 72.

The weekend cut was set at 2-over 146. Americans Brittany Lang and local favorite Michelle Wie made the cut right on the number.

For all the scores, visit http://www.lpgascoring.com/public/Leaderboard.