Australian teen Minjee Lee at home with LPGA lead in Mexico City

REUTERS – Australian teenager Minjee Lee felt right at home half a world away as she carded a three-under-par 69 to earn a one-stroke lead over four players after the second round at the Lorena Ochoa Invitational in Mexico City on Friday.

Lee, the top amateur in the world before she turned professional last year, posted a six-under 138 halfway total, with Americans Christina Kim (66) and Angela Stanford (70) and South Koreans Park In-bee (71) and Kim Sei-young (66) on five-under.

Lee, a two-time Australian amateur champion who won the LPGA Kingsmill Championship in May, has made a smooth transition to the professional game.

The 19-year-old, born in Western Australia to South Korean parents, said the grasses at the Club de Golf Mexico reminded her of her home course of Royal Fremantle in Perth.

Cool weather and intermittent drizzle left her with some long approach shots, but she took a no-nonsense attitude to adjusting.

“It was definitely playing longer. My drives weren’t going as far as yesterday (so) I just hit longer clubs into the greens and had little longer putts,” she said.

Last year’s winner Kim, meanwhile, said she was having no trouble getting motivated in her quest to defend the title.

“This tournament means so much to me,” said the Californian, who ended a nine-year drought when she triumphed last year.

World number two Park said she had struggled with club selection for her approach shots at the high altitude.

“I made many mistakes but I was able to make few putts to come in. It’s a good sign.”

The tournament, hosted by the retired 27-times LPGA winner Lorena Ochoa, is the penultimate event of the LPGA season.

(Reporting by Andrew Both in Cary, North Carolina; Editing by Greg Stutchbury)