Catriona Matthew has ace, shares Women’s British Open lead with Giulia Sergas

Matthew, Sergas share Women’s British Open lead

LYTHAM ST. ANNES, England — Catriona Matthew picked up five strokes to par in a brilliant three-hole stretch Friday in the Women’s British Open.

Playing 10 weeks after having her second child, the Scot followed an eagle on the par-5 11th with a hole-in-one on the 12th and added a birdie on the par-4 13th.

She finished with a 5-under 67 for a share of the second-round lead with Giulia Sergas at 3-under 141. Sergas also shot a 67.

“On 11, I hit a perfect drive,” Matthew said. “I had 218 to the hole and hit a good rescue to probably 6 feet and holed that. Then 12, I had 152 maybe to the hole and just hit a normal 8-iron that was looking good the whole way.”

The 39-year-old Matthew is playing her second tournament since giving birth to daughter Sophie in May.

“The birth was slightly easier this time than the first time around,” Matthew said. “It doesn’t take you too long to get back into it.”

After a par on 14, she added birdies on 15, 16 and 18 and bogeyed 17 for a course-record 7-under 30 on the back nine. She played in much calmer conditions than she faced Thursday in an opening 74 at Royal Lytham and St. Annes.

“It was certainly easier than yesterday,” Matthew said. “This was one of my best nines. It may have been easier but you still have to make shots.”

Sergas had five back-nine birdies in her bogey-free round.

“I like them. They have personality,” the Italian said about links courses. “They are not boring, but you have to accept the bad bounces. You have to play them aggressively. If you don’t, they will eat you up.”

Yuko Mitsuka (71) was a stroke back at 2 under, Song-Hee Kim (73) was 1 under, and Yani Tseng (70), Christina Kim (71) and Kyeong Bae (71) were even par.

Top-ranked Lorena Ochoa was 8 over after a 77. “At least I played the back nine in level par. I can take that into tomorrow,” Ochoa said.

Cristie Kerr jarred her wrist playing out of a divot at the sixth and went for treatment after her round of 71. She was 3 over.

“Two rounds in the 60s and who knows,” she said.

Paula Creamer (74) was 4 over, and Michelle Wie (75) was another stroke back.

“They were two completely different days with the wind,” Creamer said. “I never got off to the right start with my putter and it seemed like the hole was this small. It was blowing, then it would stop, then it was really windy. It was all over the place.”

Wie made a double bogey on the final hole after taking two shots to get out of a fairway bunker.

“I thought I could get it out, but the lip was higher than I realized,” Wie said. “I missed so many birdie putts of around 9 feet.”

Wie found a few bunkers, just as she did in her opening round.

“There are so many of them out there, you’re bound to be in some of them,” she said.