(Naples) The race for the best purse of the season in the LPGA circuit is now in the hands of Frenchwoman Céline Boutier.
Boutier had seven birdies in her last 10 holes and handed in a 65 (minus-7) card to give herself a four-stroke lead atop the LPGA Tour Championship on Friday.
For the majority of the second round, a dozen players were separated by just one stroke on the course of the Tiburon Golf Club. That group included Nelly Korda and Jin Young Ko, who are vying for the title of LPGA Golfer of the Year.
In the last two on the field, Boutier has distanced herself in the race for the prize of US $ 1.5 million.
The 28-year-old Frenchwoman made a bug on the eighth hole, but she started on the ninth flag. She shows a cumulative score of minus-14 after two rounds.
The Australian Minjee Lee (68), winner of the Evian Championship, the Mexican Gaby Lopez (68) and the American Mine Harigae (69) all share the second rung.
Korda (69), who has a 10-point lead over Ko in the race for golfer of the year, is part of a squad of four players who sit in fifth place, under-9.
Ko played 67 and she finds herself tied for ninth, six strokes behind the leader. She must at least finish in second place to have the chance to be named the player of the year.
The only Canadian to take part in this tournament, Brooke M. Henderson signed a card of 70. She is currently tied at 39.e step, at minus-3.