After 36 holes at the sweltering Honda LPGA Thailand, Sweden’s Madeleine Sagström holds a share of the lead at 10 under, along with Thailand’s Patti Thavatanakit and South Korea’s Seiyoung Kim.
Sagstrom and Tavatanakit each shot a 5-under 67 on Friday, marking the second straight day they have done so. Kim, meanwhile, closed with a 4-under 68 after opening with a 6-under 66 on Thursday.
Sagstrom, 31, had five birdies and one bogey on his front nine to emerge with a 32 and climb onto the leaderboard. He then birdied the par-5 10th hole to improve to 5 under for the day.
Then the heat started to get to her. Sagstrom, who played alongside Ludwig Oberg at the Grant Thornton Invitational in December, fought hard over the final eight holes and finished with eight consecutive pars.
“I think I was very tired,” Sagstrom said of the back nine.
“I was just trying to hang in there to the death, not necessarily. There are some tough issues, but this heat should rub off on all of us. I think I was just trying to really stay in there.” I was like, Okay, let’s focus. If you don’t do something good, it will really break down. I’m glad we were able to stay together until the end.
This week will be Sagstrom’s second tournament of the LPGA season. He tied for 42nd at the LPGA Drive-On Championship in January, which was won by Nelly Korda in an epic playoff.
Sagstrom hasn’t won since winning the Gainbridge LPGA in Boca Rio in 2020. This remains her only LPGA win to date.
Still, despite the heat and humidity, the big-hitting Swede is confident of his game heading into the weekend.
“I can make birdie,” Sagstrom said. “I went [to this golf course] Many times. To play well here, you need to get a birdie. It has to be lower. ”
“I had three bogeys today, but I tried not to worry about those things. It’s really good knowing I can get a birdie here. I’m trying to take advantage of the par 5s. They’re all very easy. I think my length helps with 1 and 10, so I’m just trying to utilize that as much as possible.”
So far this week, Sagstrom is 6 under on par 5s, which helps explain why she holds a share of the lead.
Tavatanakit, on the other hand, was 4 under and only played the longest four holes, but her game is on a roll right now.
Tabatanakit dominated on the European Women’s Tour last week, winning the Almaco Saudi Women’s International by seven strokes. It was also a hot environment, but she won easily.
She then took a seven-hour flight to Bangkok, where this week’s LPGA event awaited the 24-year-old Thai. Still, her solid play stayed with her despite jet lag and near 100-degree temperatures.
But, understandably, after 36 holes, she feels pretty tired.
“I’m feeling a little tired after playing strong last week.” tabatana kit He said so after the round.
“It’s only Friday, it’s really hot, and I feel like my body needs a lot of rest, so I’m going to get plenty of rest. I’m sure golf will be good.”
Of these three players tied at the top, none has more career wins than Kim, who has 12 wins on the LPGA Tour.
But like Sagstrom, she hasn’t won since 2020.
Still, Kim, who didn’t play her best this week, will see her name at the top of the leaderboard at the halfway point.
“There’s still a chance. Yeah, there’s still a chance,” Kim said.
“I don’t want to think too much about the result, but sometimes even that thought bothers me, so I just want to enjoy the weekend and there’s a lot of fans there, especially Asia, so yeah, it’s fun to do.”
Many players are within a few strokes of the lead, including Leona Maguire and Daniel Kang who are at 7 under par. Overall, 29 players are within five strokes of him for the lead, and given the birdie opportunities and heat this course offers, this tournament is anyone’s cup of tea.
It should be a fun final 36 holes in Thailand.
Jack Mirko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through.Be sure to check it out @_PlayingThrough Cover more golf. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko In the same way.
