Ko, Woad Share Lead at LPGA Season Opener
Lydia Ko shot a 5-under 67 on Friday to grab a share of the second-round lead with Lottie Woad at the LPGA Tour’s season-opening Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions.
Ko, a Lake Nona member, 2024 tournament winner, and Hilton Grand Vacations ambassador, stands out as the only player in the 39-woman field who hasn’t recorded a bogey through two rounds. The Hall of Famer with 23 LPGA Tour victories has been playing with remarkable precision.
“I’ve had to hole some good par putts, but I really haven’t put myself in that many difficult positions as of yet,” Ko said. “I think that’s why I had the two bogey-free rounds. I’m hoping to kind of continue that good momentum this weekend.”
Woad matched Ko at 8-under 136 after posting a 69 in mostly sunny conditions. The wind picked up to about 12 mph in the 70-degree afternoon, making scoring a bit more challenging.
“I looked at the leaderboard quite a lot today because I was getting annoyed,” Woad admitted. “Seemed like there weren’t that many low scores out there, so kind of knew I was still in it. The pins were probably a little trickier so weren’t as many birdies as yesterday.”
The 22-year-old from England has been on a impressive run. She won the ISPS Handa Women’s Scottish Open last year, just weeks after claiming the KPMG Women’s Irish Open while still an amateur on the Ladies European Tour.
Nasa Hataoka, another Lake Nona member, sits just one stroke back alongside Amy Yang. Hataoka posted a 71 while Yang carded a 69.
Defending champion A Lim Kim is right in the mix at 6 under after her second consecutive 69. She’s joined at that mark by Youmin Hwang (67) and Ingrid Lindblad (69).
Top-ranked Jeeno Thitikul and Kelly Korda are both at 5 under. Thitikul shot a 72, while Korda finished with a 71.
“I think the weather is going to get a little worse so I’m going to go to the putting green, go to the range because wasn’t hitting it the best today,” Korda said. “Just going to figure some things out ahead of the weekend.”
In the celebrity field, baseball player Aaron Hicks has taken the lead through two rounds.
