THE COLONY, Texas ā Matilda Castren shot a 5-under 66 after a six-hour storm delay Friday to take the lead in the suspended second round of the Volunteers of America Classic.
With the start of play delayed by lightning and rain, the 26-year-old former Florida State star from Finland had five birdies in the bogey-free round to reach 10 under at Old American. More than 1 1/2 inches of rain fell on the course.
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āI spent the whole day here at the golf course,ā Castren said. āIt was great because there was food all day, friends, and I hung out with the other players and caddies. We had a lot of stuff to talk about. We were checking the radar every five minutes waiting for the updates. Actually, went kind of quickly. It was mainly the food that kept me here.ā
She won the LPGA MEDIHEAL Championship three weeks ago in California at foggy Lake Merced to become the first Finnish winner in LPGA Tour history
āThereās a lot of golf left to play and not everyone has even finished the second round,ā Castren said. āSo, Iām really happy where Iām at right now. I donāt think itās going to hold for tomorrow for the third round, but Iām really happy where my game is going and how Iām playing right now.ā
Jeongeun Lee6, the South Korean player who won the 2019 U.S. Womenās Open and lives in nearby Irving, was 8 under ā following an opening 64 with a 70.
Jin Young Ko, the first-round leader after a 63, also was 8 under with 14 holes left. Only half of the players were able to finish the round before dark
After a nearly two-year run at No. 1 in the womenās world golf ranking, Ko ā who has a home in nearby Frisco ā lost the No. 1 ranking when Nelly Korda won the KPMG Womenās PGA Championship on Sunday for her second straight victory.
Because of the wet conditions players were allowed to use preferred lies in the fairways.
āIt was raining too much,ā Lee6 said. āThe fairway and greens are too much wet. So, second shot and tee shot is the difference.ā
Celine Boutier and Gerina Piller were 8 under. Boutier shot 67, while Piller had 13 holes remaining.