Nelly Korda moved three photographs away from an illustrious subject after Friday’s second spherical of the ladies’s British Open on the Outdated Course at St Andrews the place the world primary carded a blemish-free 68 in moist and gusty situations.
Korda was among the many early starters and she or he stormed into the clubhouse lead and stayed there with one other spherical of 68, however this time she didn’t make any bogeys.
With a brand new ‘Spider’ putter in her bag, the American sank 4 birdies — together with two lengthy putts on the seventeenth and 18th — to enter the weekend at eight-under total after coping with wind and rain on the hyperlinks course.
“Yesterday it was brutally windy all through the vary session till about in all probability 16,” Korda stated.
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“Then right this moment, it was raining bit throughout my vary session after which it was up till in all probability my second or third gap. It was fairly calm the entrance 9 after which as soon as we received to 18 and primary, that’s when it began pumping.
“I didn’t reap the benefits of the calmer situations on my entrance 9, the again 9. However I performed some actually stable golf, and I’m proud of that.”
In a single day chief Charley Hull carded an outstanding five-under-par 67 in windy situations on Thursday however she struggled together with her placing and made three bogeys earlier than recovering with three birdies to avoid wasting par.
She is tied for second with defending champion and world quantity two Lilia Vu, who carded 70, however the Briton is assured of reeling Korda in on the weekend.
“I really thought I hit it simply nearly as good as yesterday, I simply missed three or 4 four-foot putts, however that was early on in my spherical,” stated Hull.
“I didn’t really feel like I putted fairly nearly as good, however I felt like I struggled with the tempo right this moment. I’m solely three photographs behind (Korda). That’s nothing going into the weekend, particularly on this golf course.”
China’s Yin Ruoning moved as much as fourth with a closing birdie on the 18th to take a seat 4 strokes behind Korda.
Olympic champion Lydia Ko is tied for fifth at three-under together with South Africa’s Casandra Alexander — who shot up the leaderboard with a spherical of 68 — and Swedish newbie Louise Rydqvist who recorded 67, the joint-low rating of the week.
Catriona Matthew, the one Scot to win the British Open in 2009 and taking part in in her closing look on the occasion, bowed out with a birdie, pausing on the Swilcan Bridge on her option to the 18th to soak within the applause.
“I don’t know if it has actually sunk in. I felt barely embarrassed, somewhat awkward (on the bridge),” stated Matthew, who turns 55 on Sunday.
“It’s one thing you by no means actually consider, taking part in for the final time. Nevertheless it simply felt proper for me, being at St Andrews, being in Scotland.”