Two rounds down at 2021 LPGA Q-Series and the leaderboard continues to represent players from across the globe. The top-10 comprises eight countries, led by Sweden’s Linnea Johansson and Korea’s Na Rin An at -9.

Johansson and An both carded consecutive rounds of 67 to start their two-week Q-Series marathon. Johansson had six birdies on Friday, including four in a five-hole stretch on the back nine, but closed with a bogey at No. 18 on the Crossings Course.

“I made those three birdies in a row there, 15, 16, 17, really good shots. After that I came off a little tired, wanted to be done and all of that,” said Johansson, an Oklahoma State University alumna. “I think that that was a little highlight that I was able to get going even though I had four holes left and really fought until the end.”

Playing for just the second time on U.S. soil, An had seven birdies and two bogeys on Friday. “My confidence level is pretty high, but I would still like to really focus on my game and play the next rounds well as well,” she said.

Like Johansson, first-round co-leader Emily K. Pedersen was at -10 heading to No. 18 on the Crossings Course, But a three-putt double-bogey dropped the Dane into a tie for second at -8 with KLPGA Tour star Hye-Jin Choi. “There’s still six rounds to go and I still need to play good, but it's always good to play well,” said Pedersen, a player looking to reclaim LPGA Tour status for the first time since 2019.

Choi was bogey-free on Friday and happy to put together another solid round despite a sprained ankle that has affected her play. “My putting was really good this week, so I'm getting better and then I showed a fantastic day,” said Choi, who was runner-up at the 2017 U.S. Women’s Open as a 17-year-old amateur.

Four players are tied for fifth at -7, including Rolex Women’s World Rankings No. 14 Ayaka Furue. The Japanese star was happy with her bogey-free 4-under 67 on the par-71 Falls Course but is still keeping her enthusiasm in check ahead of six more rounds. “My confidence level is pretty high, but I would still like to really focus on my game and play the next rounds well,” she said.

Joining Furue at -7 are American Janie Jackson, Canada’s Selina Costabile and France’s Pauline Roussin-Bouchard.

LPGA Q-Series is composed of two 72-hole stroke-play events held on consecutive weeks, with scores cumulative over the two weeks. There will be a cut after the first week to the low 70 players and ties, with the second week being held at Highland Oaks Golf Club in Dothan, Ala. The 2020 competition was not held due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with Jeongeun Lee6 (2018) and Muni He (2019) taking medalist honors at the first two playings.

Johansson An Lead by One at LPGA Q Series

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