Two weeks ago the 24-year-old Englishman recorded his first European Tour victory at the Vivendi Cup in Paris.
However, that field contained only one player ranked inside the top 84 in the world. The Links Championship, played over Carnoustie, Kingsbarns and St. Andrews, is being contested by nine members of Europe’s winning Ryder Cup team.
But Parry left them in his slipstream in the chase for the $817,000 first prize. Seven second-round birdies took Parry to 12 under, five shots clear of his nearest challenger at the end of his round.
In Cheonan, South Korea, teenager Noh Seung-yul shot a 4-under 67 to take the second round lead at the Korea Open Friday after a second straight day of incomplete rounds.
The 19-year-old South Korean fired his second 67 at the 7,185-yard, par-71 Woo Jeong Hills Country Club and is 8 under for the tournament.
“The reason I’m at the top of the leaderboard is because I’ve only had two bogeys in two rounds, one today and one yesterday,” said Noh.
“That’s the most important part of doing well here limiting your dropped shots and picking up birdies where you can. I’ve made a lot of up-and-downs. I’m not sure if my short game has improved or if it’s just good this week.”
Kang Sung-hoon of South Korea is second, four shots back after 11 holes of his second round, one shot ahead of New Zealand’s Danny Lee after 13 holes.
Anthony Brown of Australia is 6 back on 140, after completing a second-round 71.
“Today was a bit up and down. I was kind of hitting everywhere on the front nine, but I was much more solid on the back nine where I was 2 under,” said Brown. “I’ve been really solid for the past two days, except the first nine of my second round. I’ve just got to try to keep doing what I’ve been doing.”
First-round leader Ronald Harvey of Australia also did not complete his second round Friday because of delays in the first round caused by fog. After a first-round 67, Harvey was 2 over after 14 holes.
In Prattville, Alabama, LPGA Championship winner Cristie Kerr shot a 7-under 65 on Thursday to take a one-stroke lead over Morgan Pressel, Anna Nordqvist and Dorothy Delasin in the Navistar LPGA Classic.
Kerr, also the LPGA State Farm Classic champion this year, birdied three of the last four holes in her bogey-free round on the links-style Senator course at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail’s Capitol Hill complex.
“It’s fun to be at the top of the leaderboard,” Kerr said. “But it’s only Thursday. You can’t win it on the first day, but you can lose it, so it’s great to be in this position.”
The third-ranked Kerr topped the leaderboard a day after missing the pro-am because of illness.
“I didn’t feel that great in the morning,” Kerr said. “For like a week and a half I’ve been sick. I was starting to feel better on Tuesday. I worked out and got a massage and I just overdid it. I woke up and just couldn’t get out of bed. I just rested most of the day and came out here and played great today.”
Long-hitting Brittany Lincicome was two strokes back at 67 along with Christina Kim, Vicky Hurst, Giulia Sergas. Silvia Cavalleri was 5 under with a hole left when play was suspended because of darkness.
Top-ranked Ai Miyazato, also feeling under the weather, opened with a 70.
“I’m pretty satisfied about today because I’ve been sick since last week,” Miyazato said. “I stayed calm and just let it happen. So it was all right.”
US Women’s Open champion Paula Creamer had a 71 in the tour’s first event since the Northwest Arkansas Championship ended Sept. 12.
Last year, Lorena Ochoa successfully defended her title for the last of her 27 LPGA Tour victories. The Mexican star retired in May after making five winless starts this season.
Kerr has held the top spot in the world four times this year, the last in mid-August.
“It’s definitely driving me,” Kerr said. “I’m just going to keep doing what I’m doing. Obviously, that’s the goal. To end up being No. 1 at the end of the year, one would think that I would have to win at least one more tournament.”
