Lydia Ko splits honours at LPGA golf

Lydia Ko of New Zealand watches her drive on the sixth hole in the second round of the Marathon Classic LPGA tournament at Highland Meadows Golf Club in Sylvania, Ohio (USA), on Friday. (Photo: AFP)

World number one Lydia Ko fired six birdies in a five-under par 66 on Friday to grab a share of the lead in the LPGA Marathon Classic at the halfway mark alongside Kim Hyo-Joo.

South Korea’s Kim, one of three players sharing the overnight lead, had four birdies in her three-under 68 to join Ko on eight-under 134 after two rounds on the Highland Meadows course in Sylvania, Ohio.

Ko, who won the title here in 2014 for her second win as a professional, opened with a birdie at the 10th hole. A bogey at 11 was followed by birdies at 14 and 17, and she birdied three holes on her inward run.

“I started off well with a birdie on my first hole and then made a clumsy bogey on the next hole,” Ko said.

“I had a few birdies where it was three, four, five feet. When you’ve got those birdie chances, it makes it a whole lot easier,” she added.