Masson Maintains Edge in North Texas Shootout


Germany's Caroline Masson carded an even-par 71 Friday to keep the lead she seized with a 64 in the opening round of the North Texas Shootout. The $1.3 million, 72-hole event - one of three new tournaments added to the 2013 schedule - is being held at Las Colinas Country Club in Irving, Texas.

After going bogey-free Thursday, the 23-year-old Masson carded four birdies and a like number of bogeys to stay at 8-under. Her two-day total of 7-under is one stroke less than Spain's Carlota Ciganda (70) and two lower than Thailand's Moriya Jutanugarn (66), American Kathleen Ekey (67) and South Korean Inbee Park (70). Jutanugarn's 5-under score was the lowest Friday.

Park, the No. 1-ranked player in women's golf and winner of the Kraft Nabisco Championship three weeks ago, carded four birdies and three bogeys in the second round.

Right behind at 138 are China's Shanshan Feng (67), Americans Brittany Lincicome (68) and Jessica Korda (69), Taiwan's Yani Tseng (69) and South Korean Hee Young Park (70).

Texas native Angela Stanford, a 35-year-old native of Fort Worth, graduate of TCU and now a resident of Saginaw, Texas, shot a 70 to get to 139 with several others.

Suzann Pettersen, winner of last week's Lotte Championship in Hawaii, has posted two consecutive 70s to reach 140. The player she beat last week on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff, Lizette Salas of Southern California, has shot 71 and 70.

Stacy Lewis, the top-ranked female golfer before Park supplanted her, shot a 70 and is now at even-par 142, the same 36-hole score as Paula Creamer, who's shot rounds of 73 and 69.

After making an impressive start with a 68, amateur Taylor Coleman, a 16-year-old sophomore at Johnson High School in San Antonio, had a 6-over 77 but made the cut of 3-over 145 right on the number.

Fellow amateur, Haley Mills of Fort Worth - an 18-year-old who attends the Jim McLean Junior Academy in Fort Worth, overcame an opening 73 with an even-par 71 to also qualify for Saturday's third round.

The "shootout" format consists of two cuts; the first will be made after the second round for the top-70 players and ties, with the second made for the top-50 after Saturday's third round.

For complete scoring details, visit http://www.lpgascoring.com/public/Leaderboard.aspx.