Jessica Korda took the second-round lead in the season-opening Bahamas LPGA Classic, birdieing four of her last seven holes in high wind Friday for a 7-under 66.
The 20-year-old Korda had an 11-under 135 total on Atlantis Resort’s Ocean Club course. She won the 2012 Women’s Australian Open for her lone LPGA Tour title.
Paula Creamer, playing alongside Korda, was a stroke back after a 65.
“Feeding off Paula was good,” Korda said. “She made four birdies in a row after (starting with a double bogey), and it wasn’t like she wasn’t giving herself opportunities. It was birdie after birdie. It was awesome to play with somebody like that because they really do push you and keep making you try harder.”
Creamer drove well left on the first hole and three-putted from 7 feet.
“After that, I said, ‘Let’s go make some birdies’. And I did,” said Creamer, who is without a win since the 2010 US Women’s Open.
“I love playing in windy conditions. I always have. The more difficult, the better. You have to be kind of a feel player out in these kind of situations and trust what you’re doing and committing to your shots, and that’s something that I really worked hard on in the offseason and it paid off today.”
Katherine Kirk is the best-placed Australia at four under, seven shots behind Korda, after shotting a four-under 69 on Friday.
Michelle Wie and Monday qualifier Jenny Suh were tied for third at 9 under.
Wie had a 65, and Suh shot 66.
Suh failed to gain fully exempt status on the tour when she lost a playoff at Q-school.
“I know what the weekend could do and what it could hold for me, but I’m just going to keep enjoying myself and try to make as many birdies as possible,” Suh said.
Lydia Ko, the 16-year-old New Zealander who shared the first-round lead with Meena Lee, was three strokes behind at 8 under after a 70.
The fourth-ranked Ko is making her first start as an LPGA Tour member. She won the Canadian Women’s Open the last two years as an amateur and closed last season with a victory in a non-tour event in Taiwan in her second pro start.
Na Yeon Choi (68), Christel Boeljon (67) and P.K. Kongkraphan (69) also were 8 under.
Third-ranked Stacy Lewis was 6 under after a 71.
