Oklahoma State's Lindberg leader of the
pack in Futures Tour Q School
Amateur Pernilla Lindberg of Bollnas, Sweden, posted a career-low 6-under-par 66 at Huntington Hills Golf and Country Club to lead all players through second-round play at 135 (-9).
Lindberg overcame a four-stroke deficit to first-round leader Maria Hernandez (76) of Pamplona, Spain. LPGA Tour member Hannah Jun (67) of San Diego, Calif., climbed to one shot behind Lindberg with a two-day total of 136 (-8).
Jieun Oh (68) of Jejudo, South Korea, is in solo third at 6-under-par 138. Fourth-ranked collegian Jane Chin (66) of Mission Viejo, Calif., and high school amateur Victoria Kiser (69) of Orlando, Fla., are four strokes back with a two-round score of 139 (-5).
The 312-player field is competing at Cleveland Heights Golf Course, Huntington Hills and Imperial Lakes Country Club - all in the Greater Lakeland area. The first, second and third rounds will be played on all three courses with each contestant playing each course once before the final round of play is staged at Cleveland Heights.
The change of scenery was not as kind to Hernandez as she carded a 4-over-par 76 at Imperial Lakes to drop back into a four-way tie for seventh at 3-under-par 141. Eighteen-year-old Min Seo Kwak (77) of Seoul, South Korea, dropped to even-par 144 through two rounds at Cleveland Heights after recording a 5-under-par 67 in Tuesday's round.
Lindberg was 1-under par through eight holes before holing a 30-foot birdie putt on her ninth hole. The Swede saved par on holes 10 through 12 before closing out her round with three consecutive birdies -- all within four feet. She carded six birdies and 12 pars on the day.
"Right now, my game feels very steady from tee to green," said Lindberg, a member of the winning Swedish Women's World Amateur Team. "I thought I was pretty solid with the irons and I was able to adjust to the speed of the greens."
Going "back to school" has meant more to Lindberg than making her mark in the ranks of professional golf. Her time in Lakeland has included several nights at Panera catching up on schoolwork before she heads back to Stillwater, Okla., where she will finish her senior season with the fourth-ranked Cowgirls.
Lindberg has also sought the advice of fellow Swede and Duramed FUTURES Tour member Sofie Andersson of Angelholm, Sweden. Andersson, a 2008 LPGA rookie, helped set up Lindberg with housing and has been giving her tips on organization and life as a professional.
Jun recorded a bogey-free round with five birdies. She followed her alma mater, UCLA, during the stroke-play portion of the Hooter's Match Play Championship in Orlando before heading to Lakeland. A former two-time All-American with the Bruins, Jun is trying to stay warmed up for the final stage of the LPGA Qualifying Tournament in December.
"We really don't have many events to play in so this is good practice for (LPGA) Q-School," Jun said. "I hit some good shots today and made some putts."
Making noise as the youngest competitor in the 312-player field was the 16-year-old amateur Kiser. She mixed four birdies and a bogey in Wednesday's round at Imperial Lakes to move into a tie for fourth with Chin, a senior at UC-Irvine.
"I feel very comfortable out there because it's really just me and the course," Kiser said. "It's a great opportunity to see where my game stacks up and I feel like I've been playing very consistently."
A rising star in the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) ranks, Kiser won four of six AJGA events she entered to earn honorable mention All-American status. She was named Player of the Year and a first-team All-American with the Future Collegians World Tour (FCWT) before moving on to the AJGA.
Not expected to graduate from high school until 2010, Kiser hasn't set a timetable on when she will turn pro. If she decides to take the college route, Kiser is sure to be a highly-coveted recruit when the time comes.
"My ultimate goal is to turn professional, but either way it will be great," said Kiser, who collected three FCWT victories this year. "I'm happy where my game is right now."
Amateur Jessica Hauser of Hartland, Wis., and Mizuyo Tanaka of Tokyo, Japan, carded hole-in-ones in second-round play, following up 2008 Tour member Stephanie Godare of Conroy, Texas, and her first-round ace at Huntington Hills on the 177-yard, 14th hole.
Hauser, a senior at Ohio State University, used a 6-iron on the par-3, 15th hole at Imperial Lakes from 167 yards for her third career hole-in-one and first in competition. She is one of five Buckeyes competing in this week's qualifier, joining Gemma Webster of Glasgow, Scotland, Emma Jandel of Dayton, Ohio, Nara Shin of Avon, Conn., and In Hong Lim of Melbourne, Australia.
Tanaka drained her third career ace on the 166-yard 11th hole at Huntington Hills.
"Sometimes I get pessimistic about these shots, but it disappeared so fast I thought it skipped over the green," Hauser said. "I hit it great and was staring it down. Sure enough when I walked up, it was in."
Third-round play begins Thursday morning at 8 a.m. off the first and 10th tees at each course. The field will be cut to the low 90 scores and ties after 54 holes.
For scores, pairings and more information, visit www.duramedfuturestour.com.
Weather: Mostly cloudy with a high temperature around 72 degrees and light winds coming from the northwest from 5-10 mph.
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