An early tee time saw Nelly Korda take control of the Old Course and rise to the top of the leaderboard heading into the weekend
Maybe I am just acclimatising but although the winds still played a big part in the second round of the AIG Women's Open, they did not seem (to me anyway) to be as severe as those experienced on Thursday. Rain that had been forecast overnight came and remained for the first couple of hours of play this morning.
After what must have felt like a quick turnaround, round one leader Charley Hull with fellow marquee group stars Nelly Korda and Lilia Vu were off early in the rain at 7:55am local time. A bogey on their first hole, the 10th, meant that the Englishwoman started on the back foot, with another bogey on 14 dropping her further back. Afterwards, she acknowledged the missed opportunities:
"I actually thought I hit it just as well as yesterday," Hull remarked, "but I missed a few short putts early on." Hull's struggles on the greens were evident and one of the key factors affecting her putting was the pace of the greens. She mentioned that the greens felt slower than the previous day, which, combined with residual moisture from the rain overnight and first thing this morning, made the surface skiddy and challenging to judge. "It kind of got in my head a little bit," she admitted, though she was able to regain her composure and find her stroke as the round progressed.
Despite these difficulties, Hull remained optimistic, especially as she adjusted to the conditions in the back nine. "When the wind picked up, I felt like I putted better," she said.
Nelly Korda takes control of the Old Course
Whilst Hull struggled to find the rhythm with her putter. Nelly Korda played it steady. Seven pars where followed by two birdies on 17 and 18. Two more birdies followed on five and nine to seal a four-under-par 68, a blemishless scorecard and the lead by three shots at eight-under-par.
Reflecting on her round, Korda thought she did not take advantage of the calmer conditions on their back nine, but expressed her contentment with her round, "I played some really solid golf, and I'm happy with that."
Defending Champion Lilia Vu, birdied two of her final three holes to join Hull in second place at five-under-par. The American noted that you have to be very disciplined throughout the entire round, "you're aiming 40 yards off the fairway. You're aiming at camera towers. You're aiming at bunkers that are so far away, but that's just your aiming point. It's just a matter of being disciplined and pulling off that shot and trusting in the moment that the wind is going to take it."
Ruoning Yin is in fourth at four-under-par and there are a group of players one short further back that includes Olympic Gold medallist Lydia Ko and 2022 AIG Women's Open Champion Ashleigh Buhai.
Top amateur at the halfway point is Sweden's Louise Rydqvist, also in the group at three-under-par, with England's Lottie Woad just one shot behind.
Catriona Matthew bids farewell to the AIG Women's Open
Catriona Matthew expressed mixed emotions after playing her final round in the AIG Women's Open. Reflecting on the experience, she described her final walk up the last hole as "great" and felt it was the right moment to end her competitive playing career in Majors. Matthew was pleasantly surprised by her performance, particularly given that she hasn't played much in recent years, and was relieved to finish with a birdie, saying, "I couldn't have scripted it any better."
Though slightly embarrassed by the attention she received, she was ultimately content, stating, "I'm just quite pleased that I actually came out and played respectably today… and I don't want to have to try and do that again next year. So the right time." Looking back on her career, Matthew highlighted the Solheim Cups, especially her two captaincies and her victory at Lytham, as the most satisfying moments.
Who missed the cut at the AIG Women's Open?
As always there are some big names that miss the cut, which this time fell at four-over-par. Whilst Nelly Korda breathes a sigh of relief for making another cut, last week's winner Lauren Coughlin (+6) will be disappointed not to have contended. 2020 AIG Women's Open Champion, Sophia Popov (+6), 2021 Champion Anna Nordqvist (+11) and 2019 Champion Hinako Shibuno (+14), as well as fellow Major winners Jennifer Kupcho (+6), Hannah Green (+7), Brooke Henderson (+9), Jin Young Ko (+10) and 2024 U.S. Women's Open Champion Yuka Saso (+7), will not be playing this weekend.
Also, Ana Pelaez Trivino (+2) was disqualified because her caddie used a Distance Measuring Device on two separate occasions (10th and 18th holes) today.
It looks like the winds may ease just a little more as we head into moving day and it will be interesting to see how much movement there is at the top after a pretty quiet day on Friday.
View the full AIG Women's Open leaderboard here.
