Friday 23 October 2015 12:25, UK
Charley Hull continued her challenge for a maiden LPGA Tour title by staying within two strokes of the lead at the LPGA Taiwan Championship.
The 19-year-old followed her best round of the season with a second round 69 in another solid display at Miramar Golf Country Club, to head in to the weekend just two adrift of leader Eun-Hee Ji.
Hull posted early birdies at the third and sixth before briefly moving within one of the lead by picking up back-to-back gains around the turn, only to card her first bogey of the round at the par-four next.
After finding the sand and dropping a shot at the 17th, Hull closed her round with a two-putt par at the last to join China's Lin Xi Yu on seven under for the tournament.
"I feel quite confident," Hull said. "I've been playing very well lately, so it's good to get two rounds together, and push my way again up that leaderboard.
"It's a shame I didn't birdie the last and bogeyed 17 but I was plugged in the bunker and made a good up-and-down, so it wasn't too bad.
"It would be wicked if I got a win but at the end of the day, I have plenty of years ahead of me. I'd like to win obviously, but I'm not going to be thinking about it too much."
Former US Women's Open champion Ji bounced back from a wayward tee shot on the front nine to hold on to a narrow lead over nearest challenger Lydia Ko.
Having opened her round with back-to-back birdies, the Korean recovered from finding the trees and running up a double-bogey seven at the sixth to post three consecutive gains around the turn.
Ko birdied her final hole to close a five-under 67, with the world No 2 carding seven gains and two bogeys during a much-improved display.
The New Zealander briefly held a share of the lead after firing five gains in an eight-hole stretch, but heads in to the weekend in second place after a couple of dropped shots along her back nine.
"It was kind of a slow start," Ko said. "I gave myself quite a few opportunities the first couple holes, and I didn't make any.
"It's always good to finish on a birdie. That's why I love courses that finish on a par-five; I think it's a good finishing hole but it doesn't mean it's easy."
Suzann Pettersen surged in to the top ten with a bogey-free round-of-the-day 66, with fellow Solheim Cup stars Anna Nordqvist and Lizette Salas also five strokes off the pace in a tie for seventh.
