Source :- PERTH NOW NEWS
Alison Lee has seized a share of the lead at the 81st US Women’s Open with a second-round 68 in her native Los Angeles area, joining Ruoning Yin at four under atop a crowded leaderboard at Riviera.
But only one of the six competing Australians currently sit in the top 20 after Friday’s (Saturday AEST) action, with Karis Davidson’s two-over-par 73 leaving her at even and joint 17th.
Compatriots Hannah Green (73) is one over, Grace Kim (72) two over and Minjee Lee (76) three over to remain slim chances of winning, but Stephanie Kyriacou (78) and Sarah Hammett (77) won’t feature on the weekend after finishing off the pace at six and 15 over.
World No.1 Nelly Korda jumped into the hunt for her first Open title by shooting the day’s lowest round at 67, leaving her just two shots back.
Opening-round leader Jennifer Kupcho, South Korea’s Sei Young Kim and Mexico’s Gaby Lopez were in a group of six at three under, while Korda and three others were two under.
Only two players managed a bogey-free round — including China’s Yin, who semi-jokingly called Riviera “passive aggressive” despite being the only player in the field to shoot two sub-70 rounds so far.
“I love it,” Yin said.
“I always say that the more difficult (the course), the better.”
Yin carded her second straight 69 in the same city where she earned her first LPGA Tour victory in 2023, a couple of months before she won the Women’s PGA Championship. She tied for fourth at last year’s US Open at Erin Hills.
Co-leader Lee, who is yet to win on the LPGA Tour, played under par for the second straight day at Riviera, highlighted by back-to-back birdies just before the turn. The new mother’s first two rounds are an extension of a strong start to the season that includes a third-placed finish at the Mizuho Americas Open four weeks ago.
“I’m not going to lie, it’s been very tough,” she said.
“To win in basically my backyard, where I grew up, would be super cool.
“I don’t want to get ahead of myself … but if you’d told me I would be in this spot at the beginning of the week, I probably would have started crying.”
Kim was one shot behind Kupcho after the opening round, and she was thrust into the lead early in the second despite shooting one over on the front nine. She bogeyed the 18th to drop her share of the lead in one of the day’s final groups.
With AAP.
