With 14 under for the tournament, Ko is two shots ahead of Lila Vu, who shot a 67 on Friday, and three shots from South Korean Eun-Hee Ji, whose 64 was the low round of the day at Dundonald Links.
Ko, the world No. 4, started her round on the back nine and remained patient as she made just one birdie. After the turn, she birdied the par-4 first, the par-5 third and the par-3 second holes before an eagle on the par-5 fifth jumped her to the lead.
“Overall I just gave myself good chances and I felt like I did really well in the last few days. And when I was out of position I think I played smart and didn’t get too aggressive and took my meds. “
Ko closed her round with one last birdie at number 9. Now the focus will be on the weather forecast for the weekend, when clear and balmy will dissolve into wet and windy.
“Especially in conditions like this, where the wind is quite calm and the sun is shining, you should take advantage of it because we all know things can change pretty quickly on this side of the world,” said Ko.
Ko was second at the Women’s Scottish Open last year. Like most of her peers, the 25-year-old is also gearing up for next week’s Women’s British Open, the fifth and final major of the women’s golf season. Although Ko is a two-time Grand Champion, he has not won a major title since 2016.
Vu followed a first round of 65 with 67 from Friday. She posted six birdies to one bogey.
“I just put myself in a good position from the tee. I think that’s really important,” said Vu, 24. “You really make your birdies by hitting the fairways here, and every hole is different from the other. . There isn’t a lot of similar holes.”
Ji started her round in the back nine with four birdies. After making her only bogey of the day on the par-4 second, she caught fire, making four consecutive birdies and adding another at the par-4 eighth.
“Honestly, I could have saved par there, but just missed the putt,” Ji said of her bogey. “But my caddy told me ‘Let’s bounce back’ and encouraged me, so I played with more confidence and got a lot of birdies after that hole and finished with a good result.”
Thailand’s Wichanee Meechai fired 65 on Friday and tied for fourth at 10 under with France’s Celine Boutier (69). South Korea’s Hye-Jin Choi, the one-lap leader, came down just 71 on Friday, finishing in a tie for sixth with Alison Lee, Germany’s Leonie Harm and South Korean Hyo Joo Kim, who all had 68 cards .
Defending champion Ryann O’Toole (71) and world No. 2 Minjee Lee from Australia (72) were among a group that finished 25th at 5 under. World No. 1 South Korea’s Jin Young Ko shot 71 and was tied for 40th at 3rd under.
Reuters