ST. ANDREWS, Scotland — Nelly Korda appears to be like to be again to her dominant greatest on the house of golf.
The highest-ranked American mastered extra blustery situations at St. Andrews by taking pictures a bogey-free, 4-under 68 within the second spherical on Friday to take a three-stroke lead on the Ladies’s British Open.
Korda received the primary girls’s main of 2024 — the Chevron Championship in April — and is on monitor to seize the final one, too. There have additionally been 5 extra titles in a yr when she has consolidated her standing as the perfect participant within the girls’s sport, even when her high type has abandoned her within the final couple of months.
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Worse for Korda’s rivals is that she is warming to hyperlinks golf, too.
“This yr usually, I’ve received on simply so many several types of grasses, in several types of situations, that you simply simply type of all the time must adapt,” mentioned Korda, who was 8-under par for the match. “That is the identical factor in tennis, similar factor in life.
“You are all the time adapting to your conditions at hand, and I believe that is what’s so enjoyable about hyperlinks golf – you are actually beginning it 30 yards left of your goal, and I am not a fade participant however I am hitting huge fades. I believe it is enjoyable hitting these little low drivers, too. I am having enjoyable, and I take pleasure in hyperlinks golf so much.”
Korda has performed her first two rounds with defending champion Lilia Vu and England’s Charley Hull, a crowd favourite taking part in in her house main, and the marquee group has lived as much as its billing.
Hull, the in a single day chief by one stroke after a first-round 67, shot even par and was tied for second place on 5 below with Vu, who shot 70.
They had been outplayed by Korda on a day when the wind wasn’t fairly as brutal as Day 1, however Hull was bullish heading into the weekend.
“Solely three pictures behind — that is nothing going into the weekend, particularly on this golf course,” mentioned the No. 10-ranked Hull, who’s searching for her first main title. “I left loads of putts on the market. I believe Nelly had 30 putts and I had 36 putts. In order that’s six putts that I’ve misplaced to her on the greens.”
Ruoning Yin, final yr’s Ladies’s PGA Championship winner from China, shot 72 and was alone within the fourth place on 4 below.
Olympic champion Lydia Ko shot a 70 and was one in every of six gamers on 3 below – 5 strokes off the lead – on the midway level. In that group was Swedish newbie Louise Rydqvist, who shot 67.
Among the many gamers to overlook the minimize had been No. 3-ranked Jin Younger Ko (10 over), No. 5-ranked Hannah Inexperienced (7 over), two-time main winner and No. 13-ranked Minjee Lee (9 over) and No. 14-ranked Lauren Coughlin (6 over), who received two of her earlier three begins together with on the Scottish Open final week.
Korda began out a stroke behind Hull, who bogeyed two of her first 5 holes after the group started at No. 10 and fell additional behind when the American rolled in lengthy putts to birdie each Nos. 17 and 18 for the second straight day.
Taking part in with a brand new putter, Korda made one other birdie on the par-5 fifth gap after which two-putted from the perimeter for birdie at No. 9 after almost driving the inexperienced. Vu and Hull additionally birdied the final gap to remain three pictures again and in contact.
Korda appears to be like destined to higher her earlier greatest end on the Ladies’s British Open – ninth place in 2019. That is her solely high 10 at this main.
“I am simply attempting to remain very current and never take into consideration something aside from one shot at a time,” mentioned Korda, a two-time main winner. “And no matter golf and hyperlinks golf throws at me, I’ll take it head on.”
Golfer disqualified
A golfer was disqualified on Friday as a result of her caddie used a distance-measuring machine on two holes on the Outdated Course.
Ana Peláez Triviño, a No. 190-ranked Spanish participant in her first yr on the LPGA Tour, found the sanction after her second spherical at St. Andrews. Her caddie used the machine on the tenth and 18th holes.
Trivino shot a 2-over 74 after a 72 on Thursday, and was on the right track to make the minimize.
Organizers mentioned the usage of a distance-measuring machine was prohibited on the championship.
