CARLSBAD, California: Thailand’s Thidapa Suwannapura is tied for the lead with World No.1 Park Sung-hyun heading into the third round of the LPGA Kia Classic tournament.
Thidapa, who won the Marathon Classic last year for her first victory on the top women's tour, shot six birdies on Friday to match the South Korean star atop the leaderboard.
"Those greens are not that easy," Thidapa said after her round at the Aviara Golf Club. “I just have to play solid and hopefully keep making birdies."
Park, whose win in Singapore last month moved her into top spot in the rankings ahead of Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn, agreed the course was challenging.
“Overall, I'm pretty happy with my play today, especially the bogey-free two days in a row," she said. "The course is not easy actually. The fairways are pretty narrow and the greens are very soft and line is pretty hard to see for me."
The leading duo were one stroke in front of overnight leader Chella Choi, who carded a 70, and fellow South Korean Park In-bee, who posted a 67.
"It was a really good day out there," Park In-bee said. "My putter really worked well. Hit the ball pretty solid last couple days."
Australian Minjee Lee, the 2017 winner, carded a 69 to head a group on 137 that also included Colombia's Mariajo Uribe (69), Spain's Azahara Munoz (68) and Mexico's Gaby Lopez (70).
Among the other Thai golfers who made the cut, Ariya is at 4 under par after two rounds, while sister Moriya Jutanugarn and Sherman Santiwiwatthanaphong are another two strokes back.
