World No. 2 Jin Young Ko is continuing a strong streak of play in the fall portion of the LPGA season. After top-6 finishes in her past three starts (including a victory Sept. 16 at the Cambia Portland Classic), Ko, the former top-ranked player in the world, is in the lead position at the Cognizant Founders Cup at Mountain Ridge Country Club in West Caldwell, New Jersey.
It has been a start-and-stop kind of week at Mountain Ridge, thanks in large part to thick fog that has wreaked havoc on starting times. The fog caused delays in both of the first two rounds, including a 2 ½-hour delay on Friday that ultimately caused play to be suspended due to darkness at 6:18 p.m. with 63 players still to finish their rounds.
The second round will resume Saturday at 7:15 a.m., with the third round beginning no earlier than 10:30 a.m.
Ko opened with a 63 and has four holes left in her second round. At 10 under, she’s working on pulling away from the field and already has a three-shot lead on Lindsey Weaver, So Yeon Ryu and Perrine Delacour.
“On the front nine, I had a lot of missed shot but I made a lot of good saves, so it’s fine,” said Ko. “I had a lot of good opportunity for birdies and left four holes for tomorrow. I will just take a rest tonight and then I will get better for tomorrow.”
Among Ko’s immediate chasers, only Weaver managed to finish the second round – she logged a 67 to back up an opening 68.
Weaver’s group finished the second round in 4 hours and 19 minutes. After hurrying to the ninth tee (her final hole) to just beat the horn, Weaver finished with a bogey but was mostly just happy to be done.
“Literally nothing is more important (than finishing). I was telling my caddie, I would hate to be playing No. 9 at 7 a.m. tomorrow morning,” said Weaver, who is not currently qualified for the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship. “I’m happy to be done, even though I made bogey on it. I’m just happy I don’t have to wake up at 5 a.m. tomorrow. I’m good. I’m happy with it.”
This is likely to be Weaver’s last LPGA start of the season, and certainly will be her last start with the last name “Weaver” as she and fiancé Zach Wright, who plays on the Korn Ferry Tour, plan to wed in the offseason.
Three players from Korea – Chella Choi, Jenny Shin and In Gee Chun – are part of a four-way tie for fifth with Xiyu Lin, and Choi, who put together back-to-back rounds of 68, also finds herself planning a wedding for December.
“You know, for the last 20 years I just played golf, but right now I’m trying to make plans for the wedding so I’m very excited,” she said. “I talk with my boyfriend about my golf game and everything in my life, too. So I’m really good right now. I’m very happy for me.”
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