India’s Aditi Ashok had an eagle and 4 birdies in a one-under par 70 on Friday to grab a one-shot lead on the US LPGA Tour’s LA Championship.

Ashok, who began the day two adrift, teed off on the tenth gap at Wilshire Country Club and powered to the lead with birdies at 13 and 14 adopted by a surprising eagle on the fifteenth, the place her method from the green hit the underside of the cup with out taking a bounce.

“Fifteen was really cool,” stated Ashok, who gained her fourth Ladies European Tour title in Kenya in February however remains to be in search of a primary LPGA tour crown.

“I just holed out with, like, sand wedge from 85 yards, so that was pretty cool.”

Ashok stated she’d debated the membership along with her father, Ashok Gudlamani, who's caddying for her this week, as a result of “it was kind of an in-between number.”

“We were almost trying to hit the next wedge because there’s water short of the green, but I decided to hit that one a little more full, and we got the number exactly right because it landed in the hole, so we’re like, OK, maybe it’s not a bad number.”

Despite some difficulties the remainder of the best way, Ashok’s six-under complete of 136 put her one shot away from Australian Hannah Green, Sweden’s Pernilla Lindberg and American Cheyenne Knight. Green and Knight each posted two-under par 69s whereas Lindberg carded a 70.

After closing her first 9 with bogeys at 17 and 18, Ashok bogeyed the fourth earlier than back-to-back birdies on the fifth and sixth. Bogeys on the seventh and ninth noticed her lead shrink.

The solely actual disappointment, she stated, was her bogey on the seventh, the place she was hitting into the inexperienced with a wedge.

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“With wedge you’re looking at birdie, so that was I guess giving away a shot, but apart from that, it was good,” she stated.

Ashok, who ended a streak of 4 missed cuts on the LPGA tour that dated again to final 12 months, stated she’d deal with limiting errors, moderately than making extra birdies, on the weekend.

“I think five or six birdies around this place is pretty good for a round, but just trying to focus on not dropping as many shots,” she stated. “I think I bogeyed three par-threes, so maybe just focus on hitting the middle of the green on the par-threes and staying in position.”

Overnight chief Linnea Johansson of Sweden had a troublesome day, carding a three-over 75 that left her tied for eighth.