Nelly Korda misses the cut as brutal US Women’s Open takes no prisoners
It wasn’t to be for Nelly Korda, or many LPGA Tour stars, who missed the cut at the US Women’s Open, but a couple of former champions are challenging for the title…
Lancaster Country Club didn’t pull any punches in the second round of the US Women’s Open as only four players finished under par in two rounds.
Thailand’s Wichanee Meechai impressively broke 70 for the second time this week to lead the way, as some of the LPGA Tour’s biggest stars fell by the wayside and succumbed to the William Flynn-designed monster in Pennsylvania.
So let’s run through what happened on day two…
So what happened in the US Women’s Open second round?
Former US Open champion Minjee Lee was part of the early wave on Friday, and part of a small contingent of players who were actually under par after 36 holes. The Australian made three birdies, including one on the par-3 12th hole, on her way to a 69.
Lee was one-under, as was fellow former US Open winner Yuka Saso. With a 68 on Thursday and a 71 now, Saso is in contention to double her major tally and her LPGA Tour tally too.
15-year-old amateur Asterisk Talley made the event in Pennsylvania through a qualifier at San Joaquin Country Club in Fresno. It is the high school freshman’s first ever US Open and she has played superbly so far. With just one birdie and two bogeys on the card, Talley’s consistency took her to one-over and well in the mix.
Lexi Thompson sadly carded a 75 in the second round of her last US Women’s Open appearance. The LPGA Tour star announced she will retire from golf at the end of the season, so her 18th start at this event will end in a missed cut on 13-over.
(Image credit: All courtesy of the USGA)
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But she wasn’t the only one. Defending champion Allisen Corpuz, Rose Zhang, Jennifer Kupcho, Lydia Ko and Georgia Hall were all double digits over par after two rounds on a golf course that was tearing the field to shreds. At just after 6 pm in Lancaster during the second round, there were only four players under par and this trend continued until the end of play.
After a first-round 80, World No.1 Nelly Korda was 10 shots better in the second round, but it wouldn’t be enough. Much of the afternoon’s television coverage was fixated on Korda’s pursuit to make the cut, and it looked like it could happen when she made three consecutive birdies from holes 6 to 8.
But bogeys on 9 and 18 put any chance of making the weekend to bed. Korda missed her first cut on the LPGA Tour since last year’s KPMG PGA Championship. Nonetheless, it is a small stain on what is a historic season for the 25-year-old.
Wichanee Meechai emerged as the surprise halfway leader at the third major of 2024. The woman from Thailand qualified for the event at Ohio State University Golf Club and carded a superb 67 in round two, the joint low score of the day, to reach four-under.
Meechai has five worldwide victories to her name, all of which have come in Asia, and she is making her fourth US Women’s Open start and her first since 2021. Her best finish on the LPGA Tour was a tie for fifth in the Pure Silk Championship in 2021.
Andrea Lee hit the front at one stage, but after two bogeys in her last five holes, she fell back to two-under for the tournament. Prior to that, the American and 2023 Solheim Cup star made an eagle two on the par-4 1st hole and three consecutive birdies after that to rocket up the leaderboard.
Below are the final standings at the top of the table at the halfway stage of the US Women’s Open.
Leaderboard after day two:
-4 W Meechai
-2 A Lee
-1 M Lee, Y Saso
+1 A Talley, S Koiwai, W. L Hsu, J. H Im, M. H Lee, H Shibuno, M Schofill (a), C Iwai
+2 A Suzuki, C Park (a), Y Kawamoto
Who had what to say at the US Womens Open 2024?
Minjee Lee (-1)
“I’m really enjoying my time so far. The course is a really lovely walk, so a lot of different types of holes, so a lot of character to the course. It’s just nice to look at, and it’s tricky. The rough is up. The greens are fast. That’s what I expect for a US Open. Yeah, I’m enjoying it.”
Asterisk Talley (+1)
“I feel like today was just less big mistakes. I minimised getting more than bogey. I feel like in the beginning of the round on hole 12 I hit it in the water, and then I had like an eight-footer for bogey, and I made it.
“I feel like that was a big booster in the round because if I would have got double on that hole, that might have broken my round. I feel like that was a big part of it. Then I was just steady pars after that, and then I just played some solid golf.”
Lexi Thompson (+13)
“To see all the fans out there and just to hear their chants and ‘Go Lexi’s’ made me smile every single shot, even though I kept bogeying! It was a special week for sure.
“It’s meant the world to me. Like I said earlier in the week, this is where my whole dream got started when I was 12. I know when I teed it up first at Pine Needles, that’s where I wanted to be, playing against the best and to continue to do so, playing in my 18th even though it wasn’t the way I wanted to end it. It was always special every time I teed it up in a USGA event, so I cherished every moment that I had.”
Yuka Saso (-1)
“It feels good, obviously with the tough conditions out there. I think because we started early, we didn’t have much gust front nine, but I wasn’t playing as well. Like I said yesterday, I had so much luck in putting, and I think not so much today, but I still was able to perform pretty well.”
US Womens Open 2024: Stat of the day
Stats guru Justin Ray never misses, and the 2024 US Women’s Open is no exception. It seems if you tee off early at this year’s tournament, you’re destined for one score only…
Scoring by the early wave this week at the @uswomensopen
— Justin Ray (@JustinRayGolf) May 31, 2024
Round 1: 74.58 average, exactly 5,817 strokes
Round 2: 74.58 average, exactly 5,817 strokes
Shot of the day
Andrea Lee surged on her second nine and it all began on the 1st hole, her 10th of the round. From the fairway bunker, the American holed it from the sand for an incredible eagle.
On what is a monstrously difficult golf course, this started an eagle-birdie-birdie-birdie streak to take her to the top of the leaderboard on four-under at one stage.
Andrea Lee holes out for an incredible EAGLE 2 from the fairway bunker on the 1st! 🎯🤯
— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) May 31, 2024
📺: USA Network | #USWomensOpen pic.twitter.com/6M419WMLOP
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Who will win the US Womens Open 2024? What has been the highlight of the US Womens Open 2024 so far? Tell NCG on X!
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