S. Korean golf player Song sinks a birdie for one-stroke lead 

(MENAFN - The Peninsula) South Korea's Song Bo-Bae sank a birdie on the last hole to take a one-stroke lead after the second round at the USLPGA Tour Mizuno Classic golf tournament yesterday.

Starting the day two strokes off American overnight leader Brittany Lang, Song carded eight birdies against one bogey for a two-round total of seven-under-par 133.

Japan's Akane Iijima hit the day's best 64 to share second place with Kim In-Kyung of South Korea, with another Japanese, Rui Kitada, one stroke further back in fourth place. Defending champion and world number two Shin Ji-Yai of South Korea was tied in fifth place with her rival on the US Tour money list Ai Miyazato, Japan's 2007 champion Momoko Ueda, Lang and four other golfers.

World number one Lorena Ochoa of Mexico was tied at 29th place on 140 with nine other golfers.

Meanwhile, HSBC has extended its sponsorship of the Women's Champions tournament in Singapore until 2012 but the prize money will be cut from $2m to $1.3m for next year's LPGA event.

The prize pot will, however, go up by a further $100,000 in 2011 and given the negative impact of the economic downturn on sponsorship on the professional women's tour, the LPGA will be delighted to retain a major title sponsor.

"The last 12 months have seen some of the toughest times the world economy has faced in all our living memories," the bank's Singapore Chief Executive Guy Harvey-Samuel said in Shanghai yesterday.