South Korea’s Kim A Lim posted the spherical of the week to leap to the highest of the Chevron Championship leaderboard on Friday earlier than second spherical play on the 12 months’s first ladies’s main was halted because of darkness at Houston’s The Club at Carlton Woods.
Kim, who received the 2020 US Open at one other Houston space structure the Champions Club, returned a seven-under 65 to take a seat one away from Americans Lilia Vu and Megan Khang.
With the beginning of second spherical play delayed by two hours because of torrential in a single day rain golfers scrambled to finish their rounds.
But 31 gamers finally surrendered to the darkness, together with Canada’s Brook Henderson, who was simply off the 18th inexperienced three off the lead and opted to return early Saturday to finish the spherical whereas her taking part in companions putted out.
“It was really, really dark,” mentioned Henderson, the world quantity seven.
“I’m just over the back. That was fine enough to see, but around the greens I needed a little bit more light to make sure, because I want to take advantage of this opportunity to make birdie.”
For a lot of the day Vu, who was out within the morning wave, sat alone atop the leaderboard with nobody capable of higher her halfway whole of seven-under 137.
Kim didn’t appear to be the one to knock Vu from her perch after a bogey on her opening gap however saved a clear card the remainder of manner whereas piling up eight birdies for a three-under 69 whereas Khang returned a bogey free 67.
Lurking one shot additional again two off the tempo are main winners world quantity two Nelly Korda and Thailand’s Patty Tavatanakit.
Korda, looking a second main following her triumph on the 2021 Women’s PGA Championship, had one other rollercoaster day, mixing 5 birdies with three bogeys for a two-under 70.
“There are bogeys out there and you try to minimise your mistakes as much as possible,” mentioned Korda.
“I was punching the air a couple of times after my two three-putts, which 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.”
Tavatanakit, who led wire-to-wire profitable the 2021 Chevron, then often called the ANA Inspiration, posted a five-under 67 highlighted by 5 birdies in a bogey free outward 9 and a birdie-birdie end.
Defending champion Jennifer Kupcho noticed her hope of a repeat all however disappear with a six-over 78 that included a triple-bogey, double-bogey and three bogeys in opposition to two birdies.
The spherical left the American on six-over for the match nicely adrift of the projected one-over minimize.
Also in actual hazard of lacking the minimize is world primary Lydia Ko, who was on three-over with two holes to finish when play was halted.