A superb front nine helped Minjee Lee fire a three-under-par 69 in the second round, leaving Australia’s two-time major champion just three shots behind the leaders at the Chevron Championship in Texas.
After bogeying the final hole of her unfinished first-round 71 on Friday (Saturday AEST), Lee bounced back with four birdies before the turn to thrust herself into contention at the year’s first major.
Like many competitors, Lee found the back nine more difficult, recording her only bogey at the par-4 10th, but still finished the day tied for 11th as China’s Yan Liu moved into the outright lead at seven under.
Liu followed her opening 65 with an even-par 72 to turn her first-round co-lead into a solo advantage after 36 holes.
Americans Lindy Duncan (72-66) and Sarah Schmelzel (70-68), Japan’s Mao Saigo (70-68), and South Korea’s Hyo Joo Kim (67-71) were all just one shot back at six under when play was suspended again.
Belgium’s Manon De Roey (68-71), American Angel Yin (69-70), and South Koreans Hye-Jin Choi (68-71) and Harean Ryu (65-74), who shared the first-round lead, are tied for sixth at five under.
Also at five under, with three holes left in her second round, China’s Weiwei Zhang is the only other player ahead of Lee on the leaderboard.
Considering Lee famously came from seven shots back to win the 2021 Evian Championship, she is confident about her position heading into the weekend.
“I just want to play freely. For me, it’s about visualizing my shots clearly,” Lee said.
“If the course stays soft, I can be more aggressive with shorter clubs and capitalize on those chances.
“They’ll probably toughen the course up for the weekend since it’s a major. I just need to play smart and stay patient when necessary.”
