By: Max Bechtoldt
JLPGA player Hana Wakimoto, who shockingly took the first round lead at the Toto Japan Classic, has held onto the lead going into the weekend.
Wakimoto got off to a blazing start in the second round, with birdies on her first two holes. After nine pars in a row, she finally got more birdies on 12 and 13. She did drop her first stroke of the tournament on the par 3 15, before pars on the final three holes.
Wakimoto’s counting stats were a bit weaker in round two, other than her accuracy off the tee, hitting 10 fairways instead of eight as she did in the first. She hit 13 greens and had 27 putts in the round.
Making a big move was American Yealimi Noh (above), still looking for her first victory of her career. While Noh’s ball striking numbers left a lot to be desired, with only eight fairways hit and nine greens. Where Noh excelled on her -7 round was with the short game. Incredibly, Noh had just 20 putts for the entire round.
Also in second is major champion Ariya Jutanugarn, looking for her first win since 2021. Jutanugarn shot -6 for the round with just 25 putts.
This should continue to be an intriguing event to follow, with the possible hometown Cinderella story looking for her first LPGA Tour win.
