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Kim Sei-young surges to front at ANA Inspiration, Ko ends streak

April 3, 2015
Sei Young Kim, of South Korea, smiles after a birdie on the ninth hole during the second round of the LPGA Tour ANA Inspiration golf tournament at Mission Hills Country Club Friday, April 3, 2015 in Rancho Mirage, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

Sei Young Kim, of South Korea, smiles after a birdie on the ninth hole during the second round of the LPGA Tour ANA Inspiration golf tournament at Mission Hills Country Club Friday, April 3, 2015 in Rancho Mirage, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

By Brian Han

RANCHO MIRAGE — South Korean rookie Kim Sei-young leads the ANA Inspiration by two after making six birdies and an eagle Friday on a tough Mission Hills Country Club Dinah Shore course to card a 7-under 65.

She only had one bogey on the 16th.

After shooting even-par yesterday, the standout round gave her a two-shot lead over Morgan Pressel who remained at 5-under after an even-par second round.

“I really hit the ball good, putting really good, everything really good,” said the 22-year-old Kim, who won her maiden LPGA Tour title at the Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic in February. ”I’m very happy.”

When asked how she plans to stay atop the leaderboard throughout the weekend, she responded, “Just do it. Just do it.”

Fellow Korean Jenny Shin is tied-for-third at a 4-under total after shooting a 3-under 69 and commented on Kim’s strong round.

“I can see that Sei-young eagled the last hole. I don’t know how she did it or if she went for it,” Shin said. “I don’t know. It’s going to be tough because she’s a really good player. She’s got both distance and the accuracy.”

Lee Mirim and Ryu So-yeon are tied-for-sixth at a 3-under total after shooting a 2-under 70 and an even-par 72, respectively.

World No. 1 Lydia Ko seemed to struggle a bit today and shot a 1-over 73. The round marks her first time shooting over-par in an LPGA event after a 29-round under-par streak tying Hall of Famer Annika Sorenstam for the record.

“The streak’s over, but 29′s not too bad,” Ko said. “My game wasn’t consistent out there but the fact that I shot 1-over is good considering how I played today.”

Ko had four birdies and five bogeys in Friday’s round and her current total is at even-par leaving her tied-for-29th.