Dewi Weber, who was denied a spot in the Paris Olympics by Dutch sports officials, shot a career-low 10-under-par 62 to take the lead after the second round of the LPGA Portland Classic. The 28-year-old from the Netherlands made seven consecutive birdies and finished with 10 birdies in total, standing at 16-under 128 after 36 holes at Columbia Edgewater Country Club in Oregon.
American Andrea Lee, who had six birdies in a row starting from the 11th hole, shot 63 and shared second place at 130 with Germany's Polly Mack. South Korean Jenny Shin and Australian Grace Kim were tied at 131, while Americans Alexa Pano and Emma Talley were at 132.
Despite meeting the International Golf Federation (IGF) and International Olympic Committee (IOC) qualifying standards for Paris, the Netherlands Olympic Committee requires athletes to have a "realistic chance" of finishing in the top eight, a level Weber and others did not meet.
"We're two rounds in, so we'll see how this all unfolds and if I can really make a statement," Weber said. She expressed her disappointment about missing the Olympics but remained focused on proving her capability through her performance at the Portland Classic.
Weber started her remarkable round with seven consecutive birdies from the second through eighth holes on Thursday and continued her streak with another seven in a row from the par-5 fifth through the par-4 11th on Friday.
"I did a really good job both days of just going shot for shot," Weber said. "It was very much like, all right, we'll just try and place my ball as best as possible, and then when I got to putting, it was like, all right, we saw the line, we committed to it, and we're just going to make a good stroke. And they all went in for some reason."
With her stellar performance, Weber began to think about matching Annika Sorenstam's LPGA record-low round of 59. "I made seven in a row, and I knew that I had a pretty shortish putt for eight in a row, and I really wanted to make that putt," Weber said. "I made these mind games with myself -- oh, if I roll another one really well, maybe 59 is in play." However, she lipped out an eight-foot birdie putt at 12, ending her streak.
Weber still managed to finish strong, sinking a 15-foot birdie putt at the par-3 13th to grab the lead alone and closing with a five-foot birdie putt for a two-stroke edge.
Her outstanding performance at the LPGA Portland Classic demonstrates her potential and resilience despite the setback of not being able to compete in the Olympics.
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