2015 has been the year of the rookies on the LPGA Tour and the trend continues this week.
Two rookies hold top spots at the Kingsmill Championship Presented by JTBC, where Alison Lee followed up an opening round 66 with a 4-under par 67 to move from a tie for second into the outright lead, two strokes ahead of fellow rookie Minjee Lee and Perrine Delacour. The two rookies are hoping to join Sei Young Kim, who has won twice this year, as rookies to win on Tour in 2015.
“It's great competition,” Alison Lee said after her round Friday. “It adds the fuel to the fire for me. Since I see all these other rookies playing well I want to too and I want to make a name for myself. I think it's really awesome that all the rookies this year are playing really well.”
Alison Lee’s only mistake came on the sixth hole, where she lost focus and three-putted for a bogey. The next hole, she rebounded for a huge birdie to extend her lead.
“For me, it was kind of a little bit of fatigue, tired,” Lee explained. “It was getting kind of late in the day and I was ready for the round to be over. But, yeah, it’s a mental thing. So I told myself to stay in it because it wasn’t over yet and I still had a couple tricky holes coming down and a couple birdie chances also to extend the lead.”
Minjee Lee started the day T-9 but fired a second round 67 to take the early Clubhouse lead at 7-under par. While she may be a rookie this season on Tour, her experience playing in several LPGA events last season served her well on Friday.
“I played four of the five majors last year so I could get the feel for what the LPGA was like and to play with the professionals, what that experience was kind of like,” Minjee Lee said after her round Friday.
Aussie Minjee Lee is in unfamiliar territory in her first trip to Kingsmill. She has finished within the top-30 in six of the 10 cuts she’s made in 2015, but this is the first time she’s been in this position heading into the weekend.
“This is my rookie year and kind of the first time I’ve been in this situation, so it’s going to be a whole new experience,” Lee said after her round.
Delacour sits just two back of the lead through two rounds. Her previous best finish in an LPGA event was T-15 at the 2014 ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open.
“I’m excited but a little bit stressed because I’m close to the leader,” Delacour said. “So I want to be good and maybe win the tournament.”
Suzann Pettersen carded the low round of the day with a 6-under par 65 to move into a tie for fifth at 5-under par. Pettersen is making her first start this week at Kingsmill since withdrawing in April from the LOTTE Championship Presented by Hershey due to a shoulder injury. Her return has been a fun one, grouped with friends Brittany Lincicome and Sandra Gal during the first two rounds and helped her stay on top of her game.
“Just trying to stay on top of it and keep my eyes up and keep my head up,” Pettersen said after her round Friday. “I had a great group, played with Brittany and Sandra, good friends of mine, and that always helps keep a smile on your face.”
Catch the third round of the Kingsmill Championship on Golf Channel Saturday from 5:00pm – 7:00pm.
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