Ayaka Furue holds a two shot lead after a storm delayed second round is completed on Saturday morning at the 2024 Amundi Evian Championship
The second round of the Amundi Evian Championship was disrupted by the weather with players being evacuated from the course due to storms in the area just before 4:30pm local time on Friday. Updates followed but conditions didn't improve so the decision was made to suspend play for the day just after 6pm.
Play was to resume at 7:30am local time on Saturday with a number of the Friday afternoon wave still to complete their rounds. Once completed the top 65 players and ties would begin their third round at 11:15am.
Heading into Saturday, Ayaka Furue led the field at 12-under-par and three shots clear of her closest competitors. With five holes still left in her second round, Furue was six-under-par and bogey-free through 31 holes. The Japanese player kept things simple and posted five pars to complete her second round and holds the lead, but by one shot less since play resumed.
A look back at round 2 of The Amundi Evian Championship
Furue, who is in search of her first Major title, used the overnight delay to her advantage and knows what she needs to do on moving day:
"I was a little bit lucky because I feel before my shots were not that good. Like my tee shot was not that good, so I could just be fresh and then come back here today, this morning. So that was good.
"Just focus on my play and like get closer to the pins as much as possible."
Patty Tavatanakit and Stephanie Kyriacou in second place
Furue's lead was cut to two shots by Stephanie Kyriacou and Patty Tavatanakit, who had two and three holes respectively left to play on Saturday morning. It was a birdie on 18 for Kyriacou and two birdies for Tavatanakit which see them in a tie for second place.
Tavatanakit, the 2021 Chevron Championship major winner, is not letting the weather delay affect her mindset:
"I can't control what the weather is going to do. I can't control how long the delay is going to be. All I can do is process how I'm thinking and feeling within myself. So I did that really good the past two days. And whatever is thrown at you got to be ready because not everything is going to go your way."
Like Furue, Australian Kyriacou surged up the leaderboard on Friday and we four-under-par at the turn. She admitted to nerves playing a part but is looking to build on her great play from the second round as she heads out in the final group in the third round:
"I was pretty nervous on the first hole and I think that kind of got the better of me. Then my caddie just kind of reassured me that like everything is going to be fine. It's only day two. You're not going to win. Not going to win today either. So just stay patient and then everything kind of flowed. Good shots, hit good putts, and made a good score."
Lots of players in contention heading into moving day at the Amundi Evian Championship
Hye-Jin Choi is a further shot back at nine-under-par, whilst joint first round leader Ingrid Lindblad is in fifth at eight-under-par after a one-under-par second round admitting that her second round was "more of a grind."
Four players are at seven-under-par, including Lindblad's fellow first round leader Gemma Dryburgh and six players round off the top-15 at six-under-par. England's Georgia Hall is amongst this group and will be pleased that she completed her second round on Friday as she nurses a shoulder injury into the weekend.
"I'm injured and was actually worse than yesterday, especially on the front nine. Just trying to make contact with the ball. So I'm just thrilled with the way I'm playing at the moment. I'm just hoping that, I'll see the physio in a minute and try and make it better, but that's literally my priority, just to play today."
With more time to rest a lot of the top of the leaderboard, Hall will be hopefully to put on a strong showing when she tees off at 12:32 local time this afternoon.
Nelly Korda makes the cut
The cut fell at even-par, with one of the most relieved players to make it into the weekend being World Numebr one Nelly Korda (-1), after not making the cut in her last three events, two of which were Majors:
"Haven't made the cut in a while so feels nice to get to the weekend. Hopefully, as you said, it's moving day so hopefully be bit more aggressive and make some putts."
Big name players to miss out on the weekend included Atthaya Thitikul (+1), Leona Maguire (+2), Yuka Saso (+4), Charley Hull (+6), Megan Khang (+7), Carlota Ciganda (+8) and Sei Young Kim (+9).
View the full Amundi Evian Championship leaderboard here.
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