STRONG STATEMENT: Denied of Paris berth, Weber fires 10-under 62

LOS ANGELES (AFP) — Dewi Weber, denied a Paris Olympic berth by Dutch sports officials, fired a 10-under par 62 to seize the lead after Friday’s second round of the LPGA Portland Classic.

The 28-year-old from the Netherlands made seven consecutive birdies and 10 in all without a bogey in her career-low round to stand on 16-under 128 after 36 holes at Columbia Edgewater Country Club in Oregon.

American Andrea Lee, who made six birdies in a row starting at the 11th hole, shot 63 to share second on 130 with Germany’s Polly Mack. South Korean Jenny Shin and Australian Grace Kim were on 131 with Americans Alexa Pano and Emma Talley on 132.

Weber had met International Golf Federation (IGF) and International Olympic Committee (IOC) qualifying standards for Paris, but the Netherlands Olympic Committee has its own standards requiring athletes to have a “realistic chance” to finish in the top eight in order to be sent to the Olympics, a level Weber and others didn’t reach.

“We’re two rounds in, so we’ll see how this all unfolds and if I can really make a statement,” Weber said.

“But of course, it’s in the back of my mind because it’s the week before the Olympics. It was something I was looking forward to.”

“It happened. I did what I could to let it not happen. I did not succeed. Some guys tried even harder than I did and also ended up not succeeding.”

“It sucks but all we can do is try to prove why those standards were so silly. And I really hope to do that on Sunday. We’ll see.”

Weber told Golf Digest in June she was hurt by being told even if she paid her own way, “No, we just don’t think you’re worth it going to the Olympics.”

Weber, who made seven consecutive birdies from the second through eighth holes on Thursday, reeled off 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.”

Weber, seeking her first LPGA title, sank a 20-foot birdie putt at the ninth and began the back nine with back-to-back six-foot birdie putts.

That had her pondering her chances at matching Annika Sorenstam’s LPGA record-low round of 59.

“I made seven in a row and I knew that I had a pretty short 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.”

Then she lipped out an eight-foot birdie putt at 12 to end the streak.