Kim helps Purdue earn share of lead at 3M Augusta Invitational

   Purdue and Tennessee, the two highest-ranked teams in the field, are tied for the lead after the second round of the 3M Augusta Invitational Saturday at Forest Hills Golf Club in Augusta, Ga.

   The Boilermakers, No. 23 in the latest Golfstat rankings, and the No. 33 Volunteers each carded an 8-over 296 in rainy conditions at the 6,248-yard, par-72 Forest Hills layout after each matched par in the opening round with identical 288s. That leaves them tied atop the leaderboard at 8-over 584.

   No. 73 Memphis also posted a 296 and is alone in third place at 12-over 588. No. 45 Augusta, the host team and defending champion, bounced back from an opening-round 307 with the day’s best round, an even-par 288, and is tied for fourth with No. 79 East Tennessee State and junior college power Daytona State College at 19-over 595. East Tennessee State carded a 295 while Daytona State College, which had grabbed the opening-round lead with a 1-under 287, fell back with a 308 Saturday.

   Purdue, coming off a solid performance at the Gifford Great 8 Collegiate Match Play Championship in Los Angeles earlier this week, was led by reigning Big Ten champion August Kim, a senior from St. Augustine, Fla. Kim, who won all three of her matches at Brentwood Country Club, fired her second straight 1-under 71 at Forest Hills and is tied for third at 2-under 142.

   Also for Purdue, Micaela Farah, a freshman from Peru, is tied for ninth at 2-over 146 after a 76, Covadonga SanJuan, a sophomore from Spain, is tied for 13^th at 3-over 147 after a solid 1-over 73, Marta Martin, a junior from Spain, is 24^th at 5-over 149 after a 76 and Linn Andersson, a junior from Sweden, is tied for 49^th at 155 after an 81. Ida Ayu Indira Melati Putri, a sophomore from Bali, is competing as an individual and she joined Andersson in the group tied for 49^th at 155 after signing for a 77.

   Tennessee was led by Blakesly Warren, a junior from Chattanooga, Tenn. who is alone in fifth in the individual standings at 1-under 143 after adding a 1-under 71 to her opening-round 72.

   Also for the Volunteers, Lucia Polo, a senior from Guatemala, is tied for ninth at 2-over 146 after carding a 74, Hannah Pietala, a senior from Brighton, Mich., is tied for 20^th at 4-over 148 after posting a 77, Anna Newell, a junior from Tampa, Fla, is tied for 25^th at 6-over 150 after a 77 and Micheala Williams, a freshman from Athens, Ala., is tied for 35^th at 152, although her 2-over 74 gave the team a big boost.

   The rainy weather didn’t seem to bother Augusta’s Jessica Haigwood, a senior from Roswell, Ga. Haigwood was right at home in blitzing the Forest Hills layout with a 6-under 66 as she grabbed the individual lead at 7-under 137. Daytona State College’s Jiwon Jeon, a freshman from South Korea, had opened with a spectacular 7-under 65, but fell back with a 73 and is alone in second place at 6-under 138.

   East Tennessee State’s Loy Hee Ying, a sophomore from Malaysia, surged up the leaderboard with a 5-under 67 and is tied for fourth with Purdue’s Kim at 2-under 142 four shots behind Jeon. A shot behind Tennessee’s Warren in fifth is Memphis’ Madison Thomas, a sophomore from Shelbyville, Ky. who is alone in sixth place at even-par 144 after a 1-over 73.