Three Share LPGA Lead; Eaks Shoots a 65

Two former South Korean teammates and a veteran who hasn’t won in a decade topped the leaderboard in the LPGA Tour’s season-opening SBS Open at Kahuku, Hawaii.

Joo Mi Kim tied the tournament record with a seven-under 65 on Friday for a share of the second-round lead with Sung Ah Yim (66) and Becky Iverson at nine-under 135.

Stacy Prammanasudh (67) was eight under, and Soo Young Moon (67) was another stroke back. Rookie Kyeong Bae, coming off the Futures Tour, shot a 71 to reach six under.

Kim, 21, fourth last year in the Safeway Classic and fifth in the Sybase Classic, opened with a bogey but made up for it with an eagle on the par-five third.

“I have a superstition: If I bogey the first hole, I play well,” Kim said through an interpreter.

Kim said she’s eager to play with Yim, her longtime friend and teammate on the Korean team that won the gold medal in the 2002 Asian Games.

“It’ll be fun. We’re good friends, so there will be competition involved,” Kim said.

Iverson, 38, hasn’t won on tour since the 1995 Friendly’s Classic and earned her card by going through Q-school.

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R.W. Eaks shot a seven-under 65 to take a one-stroke lead in the Champions Tour’s ACE Group Classic at Naples, Fla.

Tom Watson, Don Pooley, rookie Rick Karbowski and Brad Bryant were tied for second at 66.

Eaks was tied for the first-round lead at this event last year but finished tied for 16th.

Loren Roberts, who won the first two events of the season, birdied the last two holes to move into a tie for sixth, two shots behind Eaks.