AIG Women’s Open: Nelly Korda holds three-shot lead with Charley Hull, Lilia Vu chasing at St Andrews

Nelly Korda got the better of defending champion Lilia Vu and home favourite Charley Hull to move into a three-shot halfway lead in the AIG Women’s Open at St Andrews.

The world No 1 posted four birdies in a bogey-free round to card a second successive 68 on the Old Course, taking her to eight under and in a strong position to claim a seventh victory of the season.

Korda’s closest challenge came from her playing partners, with overnight leader Hull birdieing three of her last five holes to salvage a level-par 72 and Vu making a second-round 70 to also head into the weekend on five under.

Olympic gold medallist Lydia Ko and former champion Ashleigh Buhai are both within five of the lead, while none of the afternoon wave – who also got the worst of the conditions on Thursday – were able to threaten Korda’s clubhouse target set earlier in the day.

Former KPMG Women’s PGA champion Ruoning Yin was the pick of the early-late side of the draw and is four off the lead, while England’s Lottie Woad – the amateur world No 1 – also impressed with a two-under 70 to sit just outside of the top 10.

Korda on top as stars shine at St Andrews

Hull’s overnight advantage quickly disappeared when she missed a close-range putt at the par-four 10th – her opening hole of the day, with Vu pulling level with the Englishwoman when she birdied the par-four 12th.

Things got worse for Hull when she bogeyed the par-five 14th and Vu dropped a shot at the 17th, where Korda holed from long range for the first of back-to-back birdies to reach the turn in 34 and move top of the leaderboard.

Hull fell further behind with a three-putt at the par-four second but began her fightback by holing from distance to match Korda’s birdie at the par-five fifth, then added another at the par-four next to close within three.

Vu moved alongside Hull by picking up a shot at the par-four seventh, with all three players signing off their second rounds with closing birdies at the driveable par-four ninth to hold the top three spots on the leaderboard.

“I’m just trying to stay very present and not think about anything other than one shot at a time,” Korda said about her title hopes. “And whatever golf and links golf throws at me, I’m going to take it head-on.”

Hull, chasing a maiden major title, said: “I left a lot of putts out there. I think Nelly had 30 putts and I had 36 putts, so that’s six putts that I’ve lost to her on the greens. Only three shots behind – that’s nothing going into the weekend, especially on this golf course.”

What else happened?

Yin birdied the last in her level-par 72, while Buhai – who was briefly part of a seven-way tie for the lead earlier in the day after two eagles in three holes – closed a three-under 69 to sit in the group tied fifth.

Woad mixed four birdies with two bogeys to also lie in the share of 11th and Georgia Hall is a further stroke back after bouncing back from a double-bogey at the 17th to birdie the final hole of her level-par 71.

Last month’s Evian Championship winner Ayaka Furue and Rose Zhang both made the cut on the number at four over, as Catriona Matthew made an early exit despite marking her final AIG Women’s Open appearance with a closing birdie.

World No 3 Jin Young Ko was among the notable names to miss the cut, with last week’s ISPS Handa Women’s Scottish Open champion Lauren Coughlin, Brooke Henderson and Anna Nordqivst all also failing to progress.

Who will win the AIG Women’s Open? Watch throughout the weekend live on Sky Sports! Live coverage continues on Saturday from midday on Sky Sports Golf. Stream the women’s majors and more sport with NOW.

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