Hur takes ShopRite lead

MJ Hur moved into the lead at the ShopRite LPGA Classic after a seven-under-par 64 on day two.
MJ Hur moved into the lead at the ShopRite LPGA Classic after a seven-under-par 64 on day two.
The South Korean followed her opening 67 with an eight-birdie, one-bogey effort to move to 11 under for the tournament, one shot ahead of the fit-again Paula Creamer.
Creamer marked her return from a four-month lay-off with a thumb injury by also shooting four under on Friday and added seven birdies as she went round the Dolce Seaview Resort in 65 on Saturday.
She said of her injury: “Today was probably the worst I’ve felt, in the sense of the whole day. It just kind of was achy.
“There’s a lot of those holes where you have to hit knockdowns, and I had to play more club. I can’t hit that knockdown shot yet.
“Coming into this week it’s all about just seeing how far I can go, seeing how much my thumb can handle. If I play great, great, and that’s kind of what’s been happening. But I’m grinding it, too. I’m not out there just on a Sunday stroll. I want to win.”
Hur admits handling the pressure will be key in tomorrow’s final round, and said: “Every hole, there’s a scoreboard, isn’t there? It may be more pressure, but good pressure. I have to go forward, not backward.”
The low round of the day belonged to Katherine Hull, the Australian birdying five successive holes from the sixth in a stunning eight-under-par 63 to share third place with Ai Miyazato on nine under.
Hull said: “I hit I think 16 or 15 greens yesterday, and was stroking it well but nothing dropped, and I was really frustrated.
“I figured the putts had to drop. This game is all about patience and giving yourself chances, and that’s kind of what my caddie and I talked about going into today, and we were able to do it.”
Koreans Han Hee-won and Inbee Park follow a further shot back, with overnight leader Sherri Steinhauer tied for seventh with Morgan Pressel on seven under after a level-par second round.
The first European names appear in a tie for ninth place, with Swede Suzann Pettersen, Scotland’s Catriona Matthew and Karine Icher of France all six under along with Koreans Seon Hwa Lee and Kim Song-hee.
Teenager Alexis Thompson, who marked her first professional outing with a level-par 71 on Friday, was five over for her second round to miss the one-over-par cut.
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