LPGA Tour rookie Caroline Masson held onto her lead in the North Texas Shootout by firing a second round 71. She posted a brilliant seven-under par 64 on Thursday to claim the lead.
Masson is a 23-year-old from Glabeck, Germany. She attended Oklahoma State University for one year in 2008-2009 before turning professional and joining the Ladies European Tour (LET).
Her only professional win came at the 2012 South African Women’s Open on the LET. She earned her LPGA Tour card by finishing T-11 last fall at Q-School.
Masson has played in five events thus far on the LPGA Tour and has missed four cuts. Her best finish was a T-13 in the Kraft Nabisco three weeks ago to earn $29,000.
She has some very strong competition right behind her. A top-10 finish here would be very good for the rookie, if she can hang on over the weekend.
Second-year LPGA member, Carlota Ciganda from Spain is only one shot behind Masson and has posted 66-70 in her first two rounds.
Another LPGA Tour rookie is lurking just one more shot back. Moriya Jutanugarn is at five-under par. She leads the points list for LPGA Rookie of the Year honors.
Jutanugarn missed the cut last week in Hawaii while her sister Ariya finished in third place at the LPGA Lotte Championship.
World No. 1 ranked, Inbee Park is also at five-under par and just two shots back of the leader.
Former world No. 1, Yani Tseng has put two solid rounds of 69-69 together and is T-6 at four-under par. Tseng has struggled and has not won on the LPGA Tour since March, 2012.
Stacy Lewis is trying to catch Inbee Park and reclaim the No. 1 spot on the Rolex Rankings. She is at even-par for the tournament and far down the leaderboard at T-36.
The story of the week at the North Texas LPGA Shootout is 16-year-old high school sophomore Taylor Coleman shooting a three-under par 68 in her first round. She made the cut and will play on the weekend, but the pressure of competing against the best women players on the LPGA Tour hit home on Friday. She shot a 77 in her second round and fell to T-66.