Azahara Muñoz rises to fourth place in Arizona

Australian golfer Hannah Green made six consecutive birdies to close with a 61, 11 under par, on the second day and maintains the lead of the Ford Championship in Gilbert, Arizona. Her career-low round leaves Green at 130 (-14), one ahead of Sarah Schmelzel and Taiwanese Peiyun Chien, who carded 63 and 65, respectively, at the Seville Golf and Country Club.

Ford Championship, results

South Korean Hyo Joo Kim (67 on Friday) and Spaniard Azahara Muñoz (68) share fourth place at 12 under par. First-round leader Thai Pajaree Anannarukarn (70), Japanese Yuka Saso (63), New Zealander Lydia Ko (64), and German Caroline Masson (65) are tied for sixth place at 11 under par.

World number 1 Nelly Korda (68) is in a group of 12 players tied at 10 under par, sharing the 10th position. Green seeks her second victory of the month after securing her fourth career title in the LPGA at the HSBC Women’s World Championship on March 3.

Schmelzel achieved nine birdies and no bogeys in the second round. The 29-year-old Phoenix native is aiming for her first victory on the LPGA tour. Navarre’s Carlota Ciganda, who carded 64 on Thursday, totals 135 strokes after signing a 71 on Friday.

Arizona which is part of the Rocky Mountains Region. It is also part of the Southwestern United States. It borders California and Nevada to the west, Utah to the north, and, at one point, Colorado to the east, and Mexico to the south.

Arizona’s border with Mexico is 389 miles (626 km) long, along the northern border of the Mexican states of Sonora and Baja California. It is the sixth-largest and 16th most populous of the fifty states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix.

Other major cities include Tucson, Flagstaff, Yuma, and Mesa. The State of Arizona was the 48th and last of the contiguous states to be admitted to the Union, achieving statehood on February 14, 1912 (after Arizona, only Alaska and Hawaii joined the USA, although their territories are not directly connected to the rest of the United States of America).

Previously, it was part of the territory of Alta California in New Spain, before becoming independent from Mexico and subsequently ceded to the United States of America after the Mexican-American War. The southern portion of the state was acquired in 1853 through the Gadsden Purchase.

Arizona’s nickname is the Grand Canyon State (also used on license plates, in honor of the Grand Canyon), but it is also commonly referred to as the Baby State (as it is the youngest state in the contiguous United States) and the Sweetheart State (in relation to its admission to the USA on Valentine’s Day).

The chosen animal symbol of Arizona is the ring-tailed cat (also known as the North American ringtail), a mammal similar to the raccoon.