BOSTON - Chinese rookie Miranda Wang birdied the last three holes to seize a two-stroke lead when darkness halted Friday's storm-hit second round of the LPGA FM Championship at TPC Boston.
The 26-year-old LPGA newcomer, who played collegiate golf in the United States, birdied three of the first four holes then closed with birdies at the par-three 16th, par-four 17th and par-five 18th.
That was enough for her to shoot a five-under par 67 and stand on 11-under 133 for 36 holes, two strokes ahead of Sweden's Madelene Sagstrom when sunset ended a stop-and-start day with half the field of 144 still on the course
"It was really discontinuous," Wang said. "It shows three birdies in a row, but for me it was like one shot at time, and also with all the stops in the way I was just trying to hit as good as I can."
Three total stoppages for heavy rain and lightning kept players scrambling.
Sagstrom fired a bogey-free 66 to stand on 135, one stroke ahead of Australian Hannah Green, Spain's Azahara Munoz and Norway's Celine Borge.
Wang couldn't quite finish her round before the third stoppage, which lasted some two and a half hours.
"We've had plenty of experience with weather," she said. "I was not in any panic anyway, so it was good."
In her closing birdie hat trick, the last came after she hit her approach at 18 to 10 feet just before the horn, then returned two and a half hours later to sink the putt and double her lead.
"I didn't expect the weather," Wang said. "We just have to face it and prepare mentally, physically for the thunderstorms and just try to stay calm and every time warm up just like you didn't stop and just keep going."
Two earlier stoppages lasted for almost three hours combined, dumping almost half an inch of rain and delaying the end of round two until Saturday.
Leading those still on the course were South Korean Kim Sei-young on eight-under through four holes and second-ranked American Nelly Korda on seven-under through four holes.