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Sports Apr 28, 2023
| Photo by lakobchuk/Envato Elements
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Linnea Johansson holds a one-stroke lead over Australian Minjee Lee and Gemma Dryburgh of Scotland entering Friday’s second round of the $3 million JM Eagle LA Championship thanks to the best round of her LPGA career.
Johansson shot a bogey-free 7-under 64 at the Wilshire Country Club Thursday, the lowest score in her 38 starts on the LPGA Tour.
“Played fearless golf today and really went after a lot of pins and managed to hit them very close and roll in the putts,” said Johansson, whose previous low round was a first-round 6-under 66 at the 2022 LPGA Drive On Championship. “I actually managed to roll in the longer ones more than the shorter ones.”
The 29-year-old from Sweden who played for Oklahoma State from 2015-17 after beginning her college career at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida began her round on the back nine and birdied three of her first four holes. She also birdied the par-5 15th hole and completed the back nine in 4-under.
Johansson also birdied the first, sixth and ninth holes, all par-4s.
“I’ve been working a lot on my swing and trying to get a little bit more consistent ball flight, and I think that was very helpful today because I was able to attack a little bit more of the pins out there and give myself chances,” said Johansson, who has missed the cut in both of her starts this season.
“The greens can be tricky, a lot going on, but I managed to read them and match the speed today, and they dropped for me.”
Johansson hit 14 of 14 fairways and 15 of 18 greens with 26 putts.
Lee also began her round on the back nine. She birdied the 14th through 16th holes, bogeyed the par-4 17th, then birdied the first and second holes, along with the fifth and ninth.
Dryburgh birdied the first and third holes, then had three consecutive birdies on the sixth through eighth holes. She finished the front nine with a bogey on the par-4 ninth hole, completing the front nine at 4-under. The former Tulane standout also bogeyed the par-3 12th hole, then had birdies on three of the next four holes.
Pepperdine alum Danielle Kang is among three golfers tied for fourth at 5-under 66, two strokes off the lead.
Nelly Korda, who regained the No. 1 ranking for the first time since Nov. 27 after Lydia Ko missed the cut at last week’s Chevron Championship, shot a 2-under 69 and is among 13 golfers tied for 20th, five strokes off the lead.
“I think I hit it pretty solid today, and just kind of didn’t get a couple of the putts in,” said Korda, who had four birdies, including on both of her first two holes, and bogeys on the 12th and 18th holes.
The 144-player field will be reduced to the top 65 and ties after 36 holes.
The $3 million purse is one of the biggest on the LPGA Tour outside the majors and double what was offered at last year’s DIO Implant LA Open at the Wilshire Country Club. The winner will receive $450,000.
