Sharp pulls into tie for lead after 2nd round at Cambridge (Jun 9, 2017)
CAMBRIDGE, Ontario (AP) Alena Sharp shot her second straight 66 Friday to move into a share of the lead at 12-under 132 after the second round of the Manulife LPGA Classic.
Sharp, from nearby Hamilton, was tied with American Lexi Thompson (65) and South Korea's Hyo Joo Kim (68). Perrine Delacour (62) of France, American Lindy Duncan (65) amd South Korea's In Gee Chun (66) were one shot back.
Shanshan Feng of China had a 69 to move to 10 under, in a tie with Britain's Bronte Law (65) and Australia's Minjee Lee (66).
Sharp had a penalty stroke and a double-bogey on the third hole at Whistle Bear Golf Club, and then came back with an eagle on the par-5 ninth and had a run of three straight birdies on the back nine.
''This week has been different,'' Sharp said. ''I just walked up to the golf course yesterday and today just feeling like it was going to be a good day.
''Just had these good vibes coming out.''
A headache that came on at the 11th hole before her run of birdies had gone away by the time Sharp signed her scorecard. Her third-hole misery didn't last long either.
Sharp said her ball moved ever so slightly as she went to address a chip shot. While she didn't feel she had grounded her club, she conferred with a rules official and took a one-shot penalty.
''I needed to call it on myself because I was going to be thinking about it all day,'' Sharp said. ''I thought I did the right thing. Went out and birdied the next hole and really just forgot about it.
''Just kept playing the way I was.''
Suzann Pettersen of Norway had a 71 to move to 9 under while fellow first-round co-leader Mi Hyang Lee of South Korea remained at 8 under with a 72.
Delacour had the lowest score at the tournament since it moved to Cambridge in 2015.
South Korea's Inbee Park (2014) and Hee Young Park (2013) share the tournament low of 10-under-par 61. Both scores were recorded at the Grey Silo Golf Course in nearby Waterloo.
Conditions were warm and breezy and preferred lies were in effect for the second straight day.
Brooke Henderson was six shots back after a 67, one behind fellow Canadian Brittany Marchand - the Symetra Tour player who made her first LPGA Tour cut after a 70 put her at 137.
Henderson, seeking her first tour victory this season after just two top-10 finishes in 13 events, started a run of four straight birdies on the ninth hole and played bogey-free the rest of the way.
''I played really well yesterday, I hit a lot great shots, I just didn't make any putts and my energy kind of dropped a little bit,'' said Henderson, who had a 71 in the opening round. ''Today I was able to get a few tap-in birdies that were only at three or four feet and that gave me a lot of confidence.
''I felt like I could make any putt out there.''
