Piller Leads LPGA Texas Shootout

Gerina Piller birdied her final hole and claimed a one-shot lead after two rounds of the suspended Volunteers of America Texas Shootout on Friday in Irving, Texas.

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Play was suspended because of inclement weather at approximately 4 p.m. local time. The second round will resume early Saturday for 70 players who were still on the course before the third round begins later in the morning at Las Colinas Country Club.

Pillar, who has not won on the LPGA Tour, finished her round with a 6-under-par 65 and was at 10-under 132. Eun-Hee Ji of South Korea also completed play, shooting a 5-under 66 to get to 9 under after 36 holes.

First-round leader Mi Jung Hur of South Korea made it through 12 holes before the suspension. She was at 3 under for the round and 8 under for the tournament.

Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand posted a 66 and was alone in fourth at 7 under. Another shot back at 6 under was Amy Yang, who was 3 under on her round through 11 holes.

Piller, who lives nearby in Fort Worth and is married to PGA Tour player Martin Piller, had six birdies and no bogeys and capped her round in impressive fashion, hitting an approach shot on No. 18 to within 2 feet of the hole and tapping in for birdie.

“I mean, the course is actually in soft conditions so that always helps to get

the ball to stop,” Piller said. “These greens are pretty tricky. So getting it close is definitely huge out here because the greens, some of them are pretty big, and some of the breaks you can get pretty fast putts going downhill down grain, and you can also get really slow putts going the opposite way. It definitely helps to be hitting it really well.”

Ji, the 2009 U.S. Women’s Open champion, started slowly with a bogey on her first hole but found her groove and made six birdies.

“Yeah, I was sleeping there,” Ji said. “Yeah, I three-putt over there (on her first hole), but the greens are a lot faster than yesterday because I played in the afternoon yesterday. I just figured out with the putting speed. It was better after that.”

Jutanugarn overcame three straight bogeys with six birdies and an eagle.

“Focus on all shot by shot,” Jutanugarn said of her approach going into the weekend. “Not like thinking about in the future too much.”

Brooke Henderson, an 18-year-old who is No. 5 in the women’s world rankings, led a group at 5 under after a 68.

“It was a little bit softer after the rain last night and the greens were holding and you were able to be aggressive,” Henderson said. “I didn’t really take advantage as much as I would have liked, but 3 under is a solid round. I’ll have to be better on the weekend.”

Also at 5 under were 19-year-old University of Alabama freshman Cheyenne Knight and Sei Young Kim of South Korea. Knight, an amateur, has four holes to play in the second round and Kim has seven left.

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