Round two report

Miyu Yamashita seized control of the AIG Women’s Open at the halfway stage with a sparkling seven-under-par round of 65 at Royal Porthcawl.

Yamashita started the day a shot adrift of the lead but heads into the weekend three clear after taking advantage of calmer morning conditions to plant her flag firmly at the summit.

The 23-year-old is three shots clear of compatriot Rio Takeda, who was part of the same playing group and will be again on Saturday, with the nearest challengers a further four strokes back at four-under-par.

A Lim Kim and Madelene Sagstrom are among a trio at three-under, with Nelly Korda, Lottie Woad and Darcey Harry in a cluster of players a shot behind those.

But the chasing pack have their work cut out to catch the leading Japanese pair, who set the pace in style.

Early starters make hay

Both Yamashita and Takeda had early alarm calls on Friday, setting out at 7:14am, and the former was the quicker to settle.

Back-to-back birdies saw her leapfrog her playing partner, who shared the overnight advantage, and it was a position she retained from thereon in.

The lead was briefly shared when Takeda, who was forced to get creative by resting a knee on a wall during a trip to greenside rough at the 6th, brilliantly eagled the par-3 9th.

But Yamashita, who had birdied it herself, was two clear again by the 11th tee after a birdie at 10, which Takeda bogeyed. She stretched her advantage with a third straight birdie on the next hole and both players picked up further shots at 13 and 18 to keep the gap at three.

Her score took the later starters aback. Sagstrom wondered aloud ‘I don’t know how someone is 11-under, that’s a different story’, while Megan Khang called it ‘crazy’.

Yamashita, who shared second at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship last year, will know her job is far from done. The last time the 36-hole leader won the AIG Women's Open was in 2017, when I K Kim did the honours at Kingsbarns.

She can take comfort, though, from the fact that in 48 previous AIG Women’s Opens, only four Champions have trailed by six or more shots at this stage. And only Takeda is within that range.

Duncan boards Porthcawl rollercoaster

Lindy Duncan was another early starter who made inroads on an eventful morning.

The American began with a double-bogey at the 1st but five birdies before the turn took her into a share of second. A second double-bogey, at the par-5 13th, checked her progress but she finished with a birdie at the last to sit four-under.

She is joined there by Chiara Tamburlini, who had a rather more enjoyable trip to 13, an eagle there complemented by three birdies as she carded a three-under 69.

Laura Fuenfstueck, who chipped in for one of her four birdies at the 3rd, is also well placed at four-under having navigated testing conditions in the final group of the day.

Pajaree Anannarukarn, meanwhile, may be wondering what might have been. She climbed to seven-under heading to the 14th tee but a bogey, followed by a double at 16, saw her slip back into the pack.

Korean duo Sei Young Kim and A Lim Kim, along with Sagstrom, are at three-under.

Woad suffers late setback

Woad may only be 21 but she is long enough in the tooth to know how cruel a game of golf can be.

The Farnham starlet has taken to the professional ranks like a duck to water and surged to five-under at Royal Porthcawl with four birdies in five holes between the 10th and 14th.

But an errant approach at 16 halted that momentum. She landed in thick rough and her attempt to escape only embedded the ball further.

Woad took a drop and a triple-bogey was the end result, leaving her at two-under.

Also at that mark is Harry, who carded a level-par 72 to comfortably make the cut on her home course. Making the weekend was her initial target and she now has eyes on the top 10, as will fellow Brits Mimi Rhodes (-1), Charley Hull (E) and Georgia Hall (E).

World number one Korda had an eventful back nine, four birdies and three bogeys resulting in a level-par round of 72 to stay at two-under.

A shot behind her is Jeeno Thitikul, who looked as though she was conquering the tough afternoon winds.

She almost holed out from the fairway on the 11th and was remarkably consistent off the tee – until the 15th. Finding a greenside bunker there, she took two shots to escape and later missed a six-foot putt, with an eventual triple-bogey sending her back to one-under.

Steph’s ace

Steph Kyriacou enjoyed the champagne moment of the day, recording the first hole-in-one at the AIG Women’s Open since 2018.

Her gap wedge from the 8th tee landed straight in the cup – not that the Australian was initially aware.

“I'm not tall enough to see over the wall,” she said. “I didn't see it go in, which sucked, but the crowd went nuts, and I heard the flag.

“[The ball] didn't damage the hole, which was surprising, so it was quite clean. My first official hole-in-one with no asterisk.”

Her highlight reel did not end there. Kyriacou chipped in from a greenside bunker at 18 for her second eagle of the day to move to level-par for the Championship.

Tseng makes cut but Shin and Shibuno miss out

The cut line fell at two-over-par, much to the relief of defending Champion Lydia Ko, but the mark proved just beyond fellow previous winners Hinako Shibuno and Jiyai Shin, who missed out by a shot.

Lilia Vu, successful at Walton Heath in 2023, and Sophia Popov, who triumphed at Royal Troon five years ago, were among other Champions who saw their latest bids for a repeat come to an early end.

Shibuno’s compatriot Eri Okayama, who shared the overnight lead with Takeda, will also be heading home early after carding a second-round 81.

One player staying for the weekend, however, is Yani Tseng. The two-time Champion, who is the most recent player to win the AIG Women's Open in consecutive years, has battled with injuries and the yips in recent years and did not play at all in 2024.

She has switched to putting left-handed in a bid to rediscover her form and it is working in Wales. The 36-year-old carded a Friday 73 and is one-over.

Three amateurs sit level

The Smyth Salver remains very much up for grabs with two rounds remaining.

Paula Martin Sampedro, Jeneath Wong and Carla Bernat all sit on two-over-par, the trio landing just inside the cut line, with Wong doing well to recover after two bogeys and a double inside her first four holes.

Meja Ortengren missed the cut after finishing seven-over.