LPGA Lotte Notebook

Iron Woman’s streak intact

The LPGA’s “Iron Woman” made her 40th consecutive cut and more importantly kept herself in contention for a third career victory.

Beatriz Recari of Spain negotiated the strong winds on the second day of the LPGA Lotte Championship for a 2-under 70, good for a tie for third and three shots off leader Suzann Pettersen’s pace at 7-under 137.

The 25th-ranked Recari didn’t hit nearly as many fairways this time, but she lowered her putt count from 27 to 25, despite an unlucky roll on 13 — the ball did a full 360-degree circuit of the cup on a par look and lipped out.

“I made some really good putts and that one just slipped out,” Recari said. “I mean, I hit it well, so you know, golf, I guess.”

She had a share of the lead at 9 under with Ai Miyazato before that bad break. Recari is confident with her position.

“I’m excited about tomorrow and the weekend,” she said. “With this condition, if it keeps like this it’s always going to be a good challenge. You never know what’s going to happen.”

18th green strong indicator

One group going through 18 on a windy Thursday afternoon was a microcosm of how you win and, more often, how you lose at a weekly tour event.

Picking up the action with the random trio of I.K. Kim, Jodi Ewart Shadoff and Jane Park as they played the finishing hole.

All are on the 18th fairway, pin tucked low and tight near the water. You don’t want to go long and have a downhill sidewinder to the right, so, naturally, Park and Ewart Shadoff do so, preferring that to a watery grave.

Kim hits her approach close, maybe 10 feet from the cup. She holds a distinct advantage over her playing partners. Ewart Shadoff goes first with a putt from just off the fringe, the hole is 50 feet away, looks a hundred downhill, upwind. She puts it inside the 4-foot range to a nice round of applause and later, knocks it in for par. She’s feeling good, 1 under for her round en route to going 4 under for the tournament.

Park is the leader in this group at 4 under after 26 holes, definitely in contention. She’s left herself a difficult putt from the top shelf of the devilish 18th. Her birdie try is not good. No applause. She has a 7-footer below the hole for par. Nobody wants a 7-footer for par.

Kim is 2 under and in need of a birdie to make the turn, but fails to knock it in, coming up short. She taps the ground with her putter in frustration; knowing a good opportunity is blown after settling for a tap-in par. Park covers Kim with her knee-knocker par, center cut. Kim winds up 4 under after 36 and Park drifts to 3 under.

Good for charity

The inaugural LPGA Lotte Championship last year generated $52,000 for charity, and the same amount is expected this year, tournament director Justin George said.

The breakdown is $30,000 for Friends of Hawaii Charities, $20,000 for Ko Olina Charities and $2,000 for the Wounded Warrior Project.

“The Friends of Hawaii money is all used for programs on this side of the island,” George said.

Inside the numbers

The wind was up and so were the scores during Thursday’s second round. The scoring average was 74.062, some 2.5 strokes higher than Wednesday in more benign conditions.

There were 26 rounds in the 60s on Wednesday and only five on Thursday. Second-round leader Pettersen fashioned one of them with a 69. Defending champion Miyazato equaled the best round with a 68 to sit one shot off Pettersen’s lead at 9-under 135.

The hardest hole on the course was the par-4 10th with a scoring average of 4.472. There were only seven birdies, 75 pars, 52 bogeys, eight doubles and the dreaded two “others.”

The easiest hole was the par-5 fifth with a scoring average of 4.708. It was reachable in two. There were four eagles, 49 birdies, 76 pars and 15 bogeys