Leona Maguire has work to do to catch Nelly Korda after a level par 72 left her nine shots behind the world number one in the AIG Women’s Open at St Andrews.
On a day when the wind was not a huge factor, she followed early birdies at the 10th and 14th with bogeys at the 16th and second before duffing her second to her final hole, the ninth.
She still got up and down for par to share 30th on one-over, but she has work to do to catch Korda, who has dropped just one shot over the first 36 holes.
The American carded another four-under 68 on the Old Course to lead by three strokes on eight-under from defending champion Lilia Vu, who shot 70, and overnight leader Charley Hull, who birdied three of her last five holes for a hard-fought 72.
Stephanie Meadow came home in two-under on the front nine to shoot 72, but her five-over total proved one shot too many, and she joined Castlewarden’s Lauren Walsh, eight-over after a 77, in missing the four-over par cut.
“I’m just trying to stay very present and not think about anything other than one shot at a time, and whatever links golf throws at me, I’m going to take it head on,” Korda said.
This is the first time she has led at this stage in her eight appearances. Her 68 was the first bogey-free round of this year’s Championship.
The only differences between Korda’s first and second rounds came on the 8th (round one bogey, round two par) and 14th (round one birdie, round two par) holes, for the other 16 holes she has made the same score in both rounds.
Vu is the first defending champion to make the cut at the AIG Women’s Open since Georgia Hall in 2019.
Four of the five amateurs have made the cut and are set to battle for the Smyth Salver over the weekend. This equals the highest number of amateurs to make the cut since 2012 at Royal Liverpool.
Louise Rydqvist leads the way on three-under-par having shot a bogey-free 67. England’s Lottie Woad is close behind on two-under-par.
Catriona Matthew played her 100th and final round in the AIG Women’s Open, and she finished with a birdie three on the 18th.
Pictured above by Charlie Crowhurst/R&A via Getty Images
“Yeah, it was great walking up the last,” said the Scot, who captains Great Britain and Ireland in next week’s Curtis Cup at Sunningdale.
“Obviously I had decided this was my last one, and to finish with a birdie, I couldn’t have scripted it any better.”