A Lim Kim shoots 7-under 65, leads rain-delayed Chevron

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A Lim Kim, of South Korea, plays a shot from a bunker on the eighth hole during the second round of the Chevron Championship women's golf tournament in The Woodlands, Texas, Friday, April 21, 2023. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

THE WOODLANDS, Texas ā€“ A Lim Kim birdied the final two holes for a 7-under 65 and the lead Friday in the suspended second round of the rain-delayed Chevron Championship.

Thirty-one players were unable to finish the round before dark in the first women's major tournament of the season, with the event in its first year in suburban Houston after a decades-long run in the California desert.

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Kim won the last LPGA Tour major held in the Houston area, the 2020 U.S. Womenā€™s Open at Champions Golf Club. The South Korean player said she isnā€™t sure why sheā€™s played so well in this area, but that she thinks itā€™s a great city.

After opening with a 71 on Thursday at The Club at Carlton Woods, she had eight birdies with just one bogey Friday to reach 8-under 136. Finishing on the front nine, the 27-year-old just missed an eagle on the par-4 ninth when her second shot landed mere inches from the hole before she tapped it in.

ā€œI think front is ā€¦ easier, more than the back nine,ā€ she said.

Asked to recount some of her best shots Friday minutes after wrapping up the round, she was at a loss.

ā€œI already forgot,ā€ she said. ā€œI donā€™t know.ā€

The remainder of the second round will wrap up Saturday morning after the start Friday was delayed two hours after more than 2 inches of rain fell overnight.

Americans Lilia Vu and Megan Khang were tied for second, a stroke behind. Khang shot a 67, and Vu had a 69.

Vu was great on the front nine with four birdies, including three straight on Nos. 7-9. She struggled some after that, with three bogeys on the back nine.

Khang had five birdies without a bogey, finishing just minutes before play was suspended because of darkness.

ā€œIā€™m super thrilled,ā€ Khang said. ā€œI mean, hole 2 gave me a little bit of a struggle, and then coming down the stretch in the dark, 9 was kind of a little tricky chip.ā€

Vu is looking toward a second victory of her career after the Honda LPGA Thailand in February.

Vu, who didnā€™t make the cut at this event last year, believes sheā€™s grown a lot and is now better equipped to deal with adversity.

ā€œI try to remind myself that itā€™s a really tough week,ā€ she said. ā€œEverybody is going to make mistakes. Itā€™s just how I come back from it, and then just try and make birdie the next hole and just let it go. It takes a lot out of me.ā€

Patty Tavatanakit and Nelly Korda were tied for fourth at 6 under. Tavatanakit had seven birdies, including on the last two holes to shoot a 67.

World No. 2 Korda had five birdies and three bogeys in a 70. Korda was disappointed that she missed some putts in the second round.

ā€œYou try to minimize your mistakes as much as possible,ā€ she said. ā€œI was punching the air a couple times after my two three-putts, which those are kind of stupid mistakes, but you just kind of have to stay mentally tough and know that there are some birdie opportunities, as well.ā€

Korda is fully healthy after missing four months and a lot of momentum last year with a blood clot in her arm that required surgery. She said the rain drastically changed the way the course played Friday.

ā€œIt was very wet out there, a lot of mud balls, and the greens were really soft as well compared to (Thursday),ā€ she said. ā€œTwo rounds and two kind of completely different golf courses, so it was fun.ā€

Tavatanakit, who is from Thailand and won the event in 2021, said its odd to be playing this tournament in Texas.

ā€œIt just feels like itā€™s a new major, itā€™s a new course, so I treat it a little differently, I think,ā€ she said. ā€œEverything is just fresh. It feels more like weā€™re not playing the Chevron Championship just because itā€™s like the grass and everything is so East Coast. So, itā€™s just a little different.ā€

Taiwanā€™s Peiyun Chien, who shot a 67 to lead after the first round, was 5 under with four holes left.

A couple of high-profile players were in danger of missing the cut. Top-ranked Lydia Ko was tied for 78th place at 3 over with two holes to play.

American Lexi Thompson was tied for 66th at 2 over, also with two holes left. She said Wednesday that she was struggling with a sore right wrist after hitting too much at home in preparation for the tournament.

Defending champion Jennifer Kupcho missed the cut with rounds of 72 and 78.

DIVOTS: Inbee Park announced on Instagram she gave birth to her first child Friday, a girl. Park has not played since the Womenā€™s British Open last summer. ā€¦ American Christina Kim waded calf deep into murky water for a shot on the 15th hole. She made a bogey.

___ AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports


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