Last-hole bogey costs Ko outright lead in Vancouver

The 34-year-old Taiwanese player had an 11-under 133 total at Vancouver Golf Club.

At the 2013 CP Open held in Edmonton, Icher finished second to Ko.

“It’s been a great crowd, lots of Korean fans out here, Canadian, New Zealanders and I’m sure from everywhere”, said Ko, a two-time victor this year.

“This year was a learning experience for me”, she said. The 17-year-old regrouped with birdies on No. 6 and No. 7. “I left some shots out there, but I have lots to look forward to on the weekend”. “I played really smart with that chip and was happy to make that putt”.

Candie Kung, of the United States, tees off on the first hole…

Ko shot a bogey-free 68 during the afternoon while Icher shot a 2-under 70 during the morning. “I was very calm on the first hole”. “It’s 18 holes, one shot at a time, one putt at a time”.

It was that kind of day for the blonde teenager from Smiths Falls, Ont. – the nascent Genie Bouchard of Canadian golf, if that’s still OK to say – as she picked her way through the obstacle course of the Vancouver Golf Club, grinding away at par, trying not to let herself fall below the cut. “Just the putter has to go and so far it’s been going pretty good the last six tournament days”. They were all wrong reads. But her last win came way back in 2008. The 20-year-old Tour rookie carded seven birdies for a 66.

“It is still a little bit away now”, she added, referring to the second stage of qualifying in October.

Ko, who won at Vancouver Golf Club as a 15-year-old in 2012, made a pair of birdies on each nine of a steady round.

“There’s a lot of people out here”, Ko said.

“It was a tricky up-and-down”, she said.

“I don’t know if it’s the golf course necessarily, but I just played better than I’ve been playing lately”, Lewis said. “It’s not easy out there”.

“The greens are quicker, for sure, because of the heat”, Icher said. “So I just pick the tee up and when I turn around I saw my caddie, big smiling face, telling me the ball is in the hole”.

“We will see what happens at the end of the day”. A second-place finish last week in Portland has her feeling good about her game.

“I’m just going to play aggressively”, Lee said.

“I’m actually feeling quite comfortable where I am right now”.

Ko, 18, birdied the final hole for a 68. Play begins at 8:40 a.m.

Hamilton’s Alena Sharp had four birdies in an even-par round of 72 and remained the top Canadian at 1-under.

Ko led Kung by one before her bogey, when she hit into a green-side bunker and missed a 10-foot par putt.

“I will just go out there and shoot a decent number and hopefully climb up the leaderboard a bit”.