Minjee Lee patiently navigated Jian Lake's undulating greens again Friday to stretch her lead to six strokes in the Blue Bay LPGA. Already a two-time winner on the LPGA Tour, the 20-year-old Australian followed her opening 7-under 65 with a bogey-free 67 in windier afternoon conditions off Hainan Clear Water Bay. Three days after Typhoon Sarika roared through the South China Sea beach resort, the wind finally kicked up as Lee played the back nine. The wind makes it more difficult to hit targets in valleys and on plateaus on the large, tiered greens. Germany's Caroline Masson was second at 6-under after her second straight 69. She birdied four of the last five holes - the lone par coming on a 3-foot birdie miss on the par-4 15th. Spain's Carlota Ciganda and American Jessica Korda were 5-under. Ciganda had a 71. Korda followed her opening 67 with a 72. She had five birdies, a double bogey and three bogeys. China's Xi Yu Lin (68), South Korea's Chella Choi (72) and Germany's Sandra Gal (73) were 4-under. Second-ranked Ariya Jutanugarn was 2-under after a 71. Michelle Wie and Charley Hull each shot 70 to also reach 2-under. Brooke Henderson was even par after a 75. The 19-year-old Canadian is playing for the fourth straight week in Asia and plans to make it six in a row with stops in Malaysia and Japan. Thomas leads halfway Justin Thomas had a 6-under 66 Friday to take a two-stroke lead halfway through the CIMB Classic, staying within striking distance of the tournament record he set in winning the title here last year. He started the second round in a three-way share of the lead with Keegan Bradley and Derek Fathauer after opening with a 64, and followed up with a bogey-free round containing six birdies to move to 14-under, two shots clear of Asian Tour leader Anirban Lahiri. Thomas, who won his first PGA Tour title here last year in a tournament record 26-under-par 262, wasn't entirely happy with his iron shots and wedges in the second round but remains hopeful of producing some very low scores on the weekend at the par-72, 7,005-yard TPC Kuala Lumpur. Lahiri had eight birdies but finished with a 66, leaving him at 12 under. Scotland's Russell Knox carded nine birdies in a 63 to move into a tie for third place at 11 under along with James Hahn and Japan's Hideki Matsuyama, who both had 64s. Ryan Moore moved into a share of eighth at 8 under with a 65 in the second round, making up for an opening 71. Fathauer had a 70 and was in a share of sixth place, and Bradley had a 71 in the second round to slip into a tie for eighth. There is no cut for the tournament, so the whole field of 78 will play on the weekend. — Agencies
