Zhang intervenes twice to close out a 66 and share the lead at the LPGA stop in China

HAINAN ISLAND, China (AP) — Zhang Weiwei birdied her final two holes, one for eagle and the other for birdie, to give her a 6-under 66 and a three-way tie for the lead in the Blue Bay LPGA on Thursday.

Zhang, one of 20 players in the China Golf Association field, was tied with Mary Liu of China and Youmin Hwang of South Korea. All three were solid on a high-wind day at Jian Lake Blue Bay.

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Auston Kim, the American who placed third at the HSBC Women’s World Championship in Singapore last week, shot a 67.

Zhang took advantage of a shorter tee box on the par-5 17th that allowed her to get close enough to the green in two to contribute eagle. He finished with a chip just off the 18th green about 30 feet from the cup.

“I hit it a little hard,” he said of his chip on 17. “But the landing spot was perfect and it rolled straight into the hole. That really excited and energized me.”

Liu made four birdies of his final six holes for a 66, while Hwang did his best on the bend with five birdies in a six-hole stretch midway through his round.

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Kim had nine birdies, offset by four bogeys, to move her into a tie for third.

“I’m just taking a couple shots here and there that are really taking a toll on me,” Kim said. “A couple of three putts today and only a couple of missed tee shots. Overall, the rest was more solid than before.”

Blue Bay LPGA concludes a three-tournament swing across Asia for the LPGA with the weakest field of the three. It follows a week in Singapore that had nine of the top 10 in the women’s world rankings, missing only Nelly Korda, who once again missed out on the Asian swing.

Ruoning Yin of China (No. 10) is the only player in the top 10 from Hainan Island. Ruoning, a former women’s PGA champion, opened with a 68.

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