Aramco Team Series: Alison Lee and Minjee Lee narrowly miss out on first ’59 round’ on Ladies European Tour

Alison Lee holds a two-shot lead over Minjee Lee after a low-scoring day at the Aramco Team Series – Riyadh, where she equaled the lowest Ladies European Tour Tour in history; Watch day two live on Sky Sports Arena on Saturday from 10am

Alison Lee fired eight consecutive birdies to threaten the first sub-60 round in Ladies European Tour history on her way to setting the pace at the Aramco Team Series event in Saudi Arabia.

Lee carded 11 birdies in a brilliant bogey-free 61 at the Riyadh Golf Club, her burst of scoring around the turn vaulting her to the top of the leaderboard and boosting the chances of an historic total.

The American started on the back nine and was one under after five holes after collecting a shot at the par-five 12th, before a birdie at the par-five 15th was the first of a dazzling string of eight birdies that continued to a par. on the par-five fifth.

Lee rolled in from six yards the next round to raise hopes of a ’59 round’, but saw her chances end with two-putt pars at the seventh and eighth, despite recording the lowest ever round on the Ladies European Tour matched with another birdie. on the par-four ninth.

Minjee Lee is two strokes back in second place, having also looked like a potential under-60 contender after following up a front-nine 31 with five birdies in a six-hole stretch from the tenth.

The Australian failed to convert her birdie chance at the 16th and then made bogey on the par-three, with a closing par to post a nine-under 62.

Solheim Cup stars Carlota Ciganda and Charley Hull are four strokes behind the group in joint third place that includes Scotland’s Kylie Henry and Wales’ Chloe Williams, while English duo Gabriella Cowley and Cara Gainer both started at six under the 66 years.

Suwannapura remains one ahead on the LPGA Tour

First-round leader Jasmine Suwannapura birdied two of her last three holes to take a one-stroke lead halfway through Malaysia’s first Maybank Championship.

Suwannapura recovered from two bogeys in her first three holes on Friday at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club to make five birdies in a three-under 69 to move to 12 under and at the top of a star-studded leaderboard to stand.

Rose Zhang was in second place after a 68, while Celine Boutier fired a round of the day 64 to share third place with Australia’s Hannah Green and Taiwan’s Peiyun Chien.

Scotland’s Gemma Dryburgh is four strokes back in the group with Solheim Cup teammate Linn Grant and former major champion Brooke Henderson, while Danielle Kang is seven under and Nelly Korda is back adrift after successive 69s.

Lin and Ding share leadership in Asia and the Pacific

Chinese Taipei’s Chuan-Tai Lin recorded the lowest round of the day to earn a share of the midway lead at the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship.

Lin mixed six birdies with two bogeys in a four-under 67 at the Royal Melbourne Golf Club, seeing her move to three under for the tournament alongside China’s Wenyi Ding.

New Zealand duo Kazuma Kobori and Jimmy Zheng share third place at one below with Australian Billy Dowling and Indonesian Randy Bintang, with just six players in the red heading into the weekend.

The tournament winner will receive an invitation to the 2024 Masters and a spot in The Open at Royal Troon, and will be exempt from qualifying for the Amateur Championship.

What’s next?

The Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship is live on Sky Sports Golf from 3am on Saturday, marking the start of a triple-header of live golf on Saturday.

The DP World Tour’s Commercial Bank Qatar Masters is on Sky Sports Golf from 9.30am, while the Aramco Team Series event takes place on the Sky Sports Arena from 10am. Stream the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, LPGA Tour and more NOW.