Fort Worth’s Piller moves ahead of LPGA field, bad weather

The weather apocalypse forecast for Friday’s second round of the Volunteers of America Texas Shootout didn’t materialize until late in the day.

But Fort Worth’s Gerina Piller continued a torrid storm-worthy stretch of golf. She seized the lead before play was suspended around 4 p.m. and confirmed for the day around 6 p.m.

The second round will be completed Saturday morning, beginning at 7:30, at Las Colinas Country Club.

Piller carded six birdies and no bogeys in a game-changing, 6-under-par 65 that vaulted the New Mexico native past a host of challengers and gave her a one-shot lead at 10-under 132 over South Korea’s Eun-Hee Ji (66) going into the weekend’s final 36 holes.

A six-year tour veteran, Piller has had a 54-hole lead just once, at the 2013 CME Group Titleholders, where she finished second.

“It’s one of those things where you go out with the mindset that this could be the last hole before the delay,” Piller said. “You’re not going to make the group in front of you play faster and it won’t help to rush myself, so I’m just glad we got it done.”

Of course there was no reason to rush for Piller. Her laser-like approach shots and deft touch kept her scoring chances high.

Piller hit all 18 greens in regulation, despite hitting just nine of 13 fairways.

Still, birdies at No. 3, 7 and 8 set the tone in a front-nine 33, and Piller managed birdie at three of Las Colinas’ four par-5s.

“The course was pretty soft this morning and that helped to get the ball to stop,” Piller said. “The greens are pretty tricky too, so that kind of helped to get them slowed down a bit.”

First-round leader Mi Jung Hur was just two shots back at 8 under through 12 holes of her second round.

Aledo amateur Cheyenne Knight, a freshman at Alabama, took advantage early in her second round. Starting on the back nine, she holed her third shot on No. 10 from the fairway and collected two more birdies for a 31.

Knight completed 14 holes and was tied for sixth at 5 under.

Se Ri Pak out

World Golf Hall of Famer Se Ri Pak was forced to withdraw Friday after suffering burns on her right foot when hot tea was spilled.

Pak, who’s on a retirement farewell tour this season, shot 72 Thursday and was slated to play the afternoon with Juli Inkster and Kim Kaufman.

She has made two cuts in four events this season and in three starts in North Texas, has now withdrawn twice and missed the cut in 2014.

The 25-time LPGA winner has earned nearly $12.6 million in her career and sits eighth on the all-time earnings list.

Teen dream

Californian Karah Sanford won’t be getting a paycheck this week, but she has turned plenty of heads with her play.

Already a top recruit in the class of 2019 as a 14-year-old amateur, Sanford battled back from an opening-round 73 to climb into a tie for 48th at even par after firing a 69.

“At the beginning I didn’t feel too great. I mean, I started off with a couple of bogeys,” Sanford said. “I had a three-putt on No. 4 and didn’t feel too good to start off, but then I made a couple of birdies coming around the turn.”

Stanford watch

Former TCU standout Angela Stanford shot 71 Friday to sit tied for 33rd heading into the weekend. She finished tied for sixth last year at Irving.

This is Stanford’s fourth start in the Texas Shootout. She had a tie for 22nd in 2013 and missed the cut in 2014.

This story was originally published April 29, 2016 at 7:22 PM with the headline "Fort Worth’s Piller moves ahead of LPGA field, bad weather."