Kerr, Anderson lead rain-delayed U.S Women’s Open

Heavy rain and lightning forced an early halt to the first round of the U.S Women’s Open on Thursday with Cristie Kerr and amateur Amy Anderson sharing the lead at 2-under par when play was suspended.

Kerr had played through 15 holes and carded three birdies and one bogey after starting from the 10th hole, while Anderson was bogey-free through 12 holes having started from the first hole.

Only 25 players in the 156-strong field had managed to finish the first round, and 72 players hadn’t begun their rounds when officials called a halt to play. Of those who had completed their first rounds, Kristy McPherson was clubhouse leader on 2-over par following a 73.

South Korea’s Inbee Park, Japan’s Ai Miyazato and Italian Silvia Cavalleri share third on 1-under par. Park had one hole to play before the day’s play was abandoned, while Miyazato had played through 15 holes. Cavalleri had just begun her round, and birdied her opening hole.

Defending champion Paula Creamer is amongst the players yet to begin their first rounds. Other notable names include Yani Tseng, Morgan Pressel , Katherine Hull and England’s Laura Davis.

However, Michelle Wie might be wishing the abandonment of play had come earlier. The Hawaiian-born star of the 2009 Solheim Cup was 7-over par through 16 holes and could struggle to make the cut.

Wie goes wire-to-wire for Canadian Open success

Michelle Wie claimed her second LPGA Tour title with victory in the CN Women’s Canadian Open, leading from start to finish.

Wie, who had held a three-shot lead at halfway started the final round tied with Jiyai Shin, shot a final round 70 to regain her three shot margin over Shin and finish the tournament at 12-under par.

Both Wie and Shin – playing together in the final grounp – had opened their final round with bogeys, but Wie went on to pick up five shots, including a crucial run of three-straight birdies from the 13th through 15th holes, although she also made a two further bogeys.

Shin struggled on the greens and could only muster a 1-over par round of 73.

In addition to Shin, also tying for second place behind Wie were defending champion Suzann Pettersen, Young Jee Lee and Kristy McPherson.

“I made a lot of crucial putts today,” said Wie, who won her first career stroke play tournament at the Lorena Ochoa Invitational event last November. Wie collects $337,500 for her win and could climb as high as 7th place in the World rankings.

In-Kyung Kim of South Korea was sixth while United States’ Morgan Pressel was seventh. Both players shot a final round 69.

Wales’ Becky Morgan finished as the top British challenger as a final-round 69 left her on five under par, while Scotland’s Catriona Matthew finished at three under after a disappointing 74. England’s Laura Davies was at level par after a four-under-par 68.

Wie maintains Canadian Open lead

Michelle Wie wasn’t able to replicate her stunning first round at the Canadian Women’s Open, but she did enough to maintain her three-shot advantage over the field following her second round of 69. There was no hole-in-one this time around, however.

“I tried. Didn’t work out.” she said smiling afterwards.

Wie’s 36-hole total of 10-under par 134 gives the Hawaiian-born player a three-shot lead over nearest challenger Jiyai Shin of South Korea who shot a 67 to move into sole possession of second place.

Norway’s Suzann Pettersen shot 69 to hold onto her third place, while American Morgan Pressel carded a 66 to join Pettersen on 6-under par, four shots behind Wie. Pettersen and Pressel are one shot in front of South Koreans Na Yeon Choi and Jee Young Lee, who both shot 67.

Pressel carded birdies on five of her first eight holes as she seeks a third LPGA tour victory from her five years on Tour, but knows she will have to repeat the form she showed on Friday. Her best finish this season was a tie for second place at the Evian Masters, where she led into the final day, only to be overhauled by Shin.

“It looks like Michelle is very confident in her game right now, so it looks like I’m going to have to have two more days of golf like I had today and we’ll see what happens,” Pressel said after her round.

South Korean players Shi Hyn Ahn and Il Mi Chung were both disqualified late on Thursday night for mistakenly playing each other’s balls on the 18th green during their opening round.

Wie grabs an ace and the lead in Canada

Michelle Wie takes a three-shot lead into the second round of the CN Canadian Women’s Open, and was helped on the way by a hole-in-one.

Wie, the darling of the LPGA, had carded three birdies on the front nine before her ace for an eagle at the par-three 11th hole to move her to five under par. A dropped shot on the next hole slowed her momentum, but Wie roared back with another triple birdie blitz over the last six holes to finish with a round of 65.

Australian Sarah Kemp is Wie’s closed challenger after a round of 68, which included six birdies and two bogeys while defending champion Suzann Pettersen is a further stroke behind.

Eight players are tied together on 70, including rookie South Korean Ilhee Lee, who originally thought she had tied Pettersen but spotted an error or her card before signing and it was amended to the correct score.

It wasn’t the best of starts for those other women ranked at the top of the LPGA rankings as world number one, Ai Miyazato of Japan shot 74,while Cristie Kerr shot a round of 75. Jiyai Shin was on 70, while Yani Tseng dipped into plus figures with a 73.

Teenage US sensation Alexis Thompson shot a 71. Thompson turned pro in June at the age of 15, the youngest female to do so.

Pressel chases Evian Masters win

United States’ Morgan Pressel takes a two-stroke lead into the final round of the LPGA Evian Masters on Sunday. Pressel carded a third round 67 – 5-under par – which included an eagle on the last to regain the lead in the tournament after beginning the day three strokes off the lead after a 72 on Friday.

Pressel had led the tournament after day one with an opening 66.

The young American will now enter Sunday’s final round with a score of 11-under par, two ahead of South Korean duo Jiyai Shin and Jeong Jang. Shin, who was briefly ranked No. 1 following Lorena Ochoa’s retirement this year, had five birdies and a bogey in a round of 68 while Jang shot a 70 which included three birdies and one bogey.

Pressel felt she could have been further ahead but for an error in her club selection on the third hole.

“I got off to a good start: birdied the first hole, made a little bit of a mess on three, more of a mental error than anything,” Pressel said. “I just shouldn’t have hit driver off the tee and made bogey.”

Mika Miyazato, who had held the lead after the second round struggled to a round of 74 to drop back into a tie for 6th place. She fell four strokes behind Pressel after a round marked by five bogeys, including a stretch of three in a row.

Pressel’s compatriot Brittany Lincicome, one of the longest drivers in women’s golf ran up an excellent round of 65 which included six birdies and an eagle on the 16th hole to close within three shots, and tied fourth with Alexis Thompson who shot a round of 67. The pair sit at 8-under par.

“I was hitting the fairways and my putting was working well. It’s one of those days when everything seems to go right for you,” Lincicome said. “I would like to be able to play that way all year, but the problem with golf is that everything changes from one day to the next.”

Gwladys Nocera was one off the lead after two rounds, but the Frenchwoman slipped down the leaderboard with a five-bogey round of 76 to all but end her challenge while defending champion Ai Miyazato had five bogeys and three birdies in her 74 to tie for 39th, ten shots behind Pressel.

Miyazato shares that mark with Michelle Wie who had a better day after her 77 on Friday. After opening with a 68 on day one, Wie struggled on Friday before showing more consistency with a 70 to move to 1 under.

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