GOLD COAST, Australia – Former Fort Wayne resident Amanda Blumenherst shot a 3-under 69 and is tied for the lead with Lim Ji-na of South Korea after two rounds of the ANZ Australian Ladies Masters.
First-round leader Blumenherst and Lim (66) had a two-round total of 9-under 135 after Friday’s second round.
Australians Katherine Hull (70), six-time former champion Karrie Webb (69) and Tamie Durdin (68) were tied for third, two strokes back, along with South Koreans Ryu So-yeon (67) and Seo Hee-kyung (68).
Blumenherst, Hull, Webb and Durdin played most of their afternoon rounds in rain at Royal Pines. Nearly eight inches of rain fell on the course earlier in the week.
When she finished her round, Blumenherst was shown on the tournament’s computer leader board as trailing Lim by a stroke.
But her score on the par-4 second hole was incorrectly recorded as a bogey instead of a par four.
Thursday was the first time the former amateur star from Duke University had led a pro tournament after the first round, and she’ll tee off again today in the last group.
“I was very proud of myself,” Blumenherst said. “I was nervous of course, but I handled it very well, I played my game, and I’m putting really well.
“It was really tough, especially after coming around the turn when it really started raining. I tried to think of it as part of my advantage, that everyone in my section was facing it too.”
Blumenherst’s group was put on the clock with two holes left, caused mostly by a ruling needed by another player in the threesome early in the round.
As a result, they had fallen two holes behind the group in front.
“Being on the clock is tough,” Blumenherst said.
“Even though I don’t feel like I’m going overtime, you still subconsciously think that you could be penalized.”
Lim, who won her first Korean tour event in 2007 in her rookie season, said the course conditions were better earlier Friday before the rain started falling.
“My short game was very good and putting as well,” said Lim, whose best finish in three previous trips to Royal Pines was 30th two years ago.
PGA: Anthony Kim was one of four players to match the best Honda Classic round on the Champion course with a 6-under 64, Camilo Villegas had a 66 for the second straight day, and they were tied at 8-under 132 atop the leader board after the second round in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
Vijay Singh (66) was a stroke back at 7 under, Jerry Kelly (65) was 6 under, and Mike Weir (64), Matt Every (66), Graeme McDowell (67), Chez Reavie (65) and Nathan Green (70) were 5 under.
CHAMPIONS: Bob Tway, Chein Soon Lu and Mark Wiebe shot 6-under 65s to share the first-round lead in the Toshiba Classic, leaving tour newcomer Fred Couples a stroke back at Newport Beach Country Club in California.
Olin Browne, Lonnie Nielsen and Mike Goodes matched Couples at 66, and defending champion Eduardo Romero was another stroke back along with Tom Lehman, Loren Roberts, Wayne Levi, Ronnie Black, D.A. Weibring, Bobby Wadkins and Gary Hallberg.
