LPGA Tour rookie Akie Iwai carded her second straight bogey-free round Friday to maintain a two-stroke lead at the Honda LPGA Thailand.
The 22-year-old Japanese golfer posted a 5-under 67 in the second round to move to 15-under at the Siam Country Club Old Course in Pattaya, Chonburi.
Angel Yin climbed into solo second place at 13-under after equaling the day’s low round with a 64, finishing with nine birdies and one bogey. She only has missed one fairway through 36 holes.
The Thailand tandem of Jeeno Thitikul (64 on Friday) and Moriya Jutanugarn (66) are tied for third at 12-under and Germany’s Esther Henseleit (67) sits in fifth place at 9-under 135.
Iwai’s 129 total is just one shy of the tournament’s 36-hole scoring record. A six-time winner on the Japanese tour, she is one of only two players in the field without a bogey, along with Sweden’s Linn Grant who is tied for eighth at 7-under.
“Today also I did shot well, putt well. Good distance together. Yeah. So that’s why I made a lot of birdie also today,” Iwai said of her strong start.
Asked about her thoughts on entering the weekend with a chance to finish atop the leaderboard, Iwai said she did not care about the results.
“I just stick with my game plan, yes,” she said. “Just keep going, so stay focused, focus my golf, yeah, until finish the holes.
Yin is tied with Iwai for the tournament lead with 15 birdies through 36 holes.
“Putts started dropping in,” Yin said. “I had opportunities in the start of the round but didn’t capitalize, and then putts just started pouring in, which was nice. And this is a golf course where a few putts drop and it just shows up on the scorecard. It’s a very gettable golf course, but at the same time very challenging.”
Thitikul recorded five birdies in her first six holes, while Jutanugarn had a streak of four straight birdies at Nos. 12-15.
“I got a lot (of) good chances,” Jutanugarn said. “… When the putter works. then you kind of feel like everything is kind of going smooth.”
The course conditions and pin placements were tougher Friday, resulting in only three eagles compared to 14 on Thursday.
Defending champion Patty Tavatanakit of Thailand soared into a tie for 15th at 5-under after carding birdies on her last three holes Friday.
