Date: February 17, 2016
Author: Golf Australia

LIVE: Minjee heating up at Royal Adelaide

LIVE SCORES: http://www.womensausopen.com/scores

The players who battled in yesterday afternoon’s tougher weather conditions are being rewarded on Friday morning as they try to close the gap on ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open first round leader Katherine Kirk.

Some of the world’s biggest names were away early at Royal Adelaide Golf Club to kick start the second round, Australia’s number one female golfer Minjee Lee trying to make up ground on countrywoman Kirk after an opening 1-under 72.

After teeing off Royal Adelaide’s 10th tee, Lee traded strokes early before catching fire with the putter to make birdies on 15 and 17, closing the gap to just five shots.

Fellow Rio Olympian Su Oh also succumbed to an early bogey, slipping behind Lee to be 2-under for the week early in her second round.

Three players have climbed to 7-under for the tournament to be just one stroke off a share of the lead, Taiwanese young gun Min Lee making the turn in 1-under for the day after a Thursday 67.

She’s joined at 7-under by Thai Pornanong Phatlum and American Lizette Salas, that duo picking up a pair of strokes each early in Friday morning’s still conditions.

Two-time LET winner Rebecca Artis is giving the local fans another reason to cheer, the Australian firing four birdies in her opening seven holes on Friday to surge to 5-under for the tournament.

Defending champion Haru Nomura is making the biggest move in the morning’s marquee group, the Japanese World Number 21 rocketing into the top 30 on the standings with a 4-under front nine to be at 2-under.

Her playing partners Ariya Jutanugarn and Englishwoman Charley Hull have both found the going tough, not making up any ground on the outright leader to stay at 1-under for the week.

World Number One Lydia Ko, Canadian Brooke Henderson and Korean phenom Ha Na Jang headline the afternoon’s action at Royal Adelaide, that trio teeing off the layout’s 1st tee at 12:34pm local time.

LIVE SCORES: http://www.womensausopen.com/scores