Leona Maguire will be the sole Irish representative at the weekend as 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.
Maguire, after a level-par 72 from the early wave on Thursday, faced a stiffening breeze and a firmed-up Royal Porthcawl in the afternoon on day two, and the two-time LPGA Tour winner covered her opening nine holes in one-under thanks to a single birdie and eight pars. It was far from straightforward, however, as the lone birdie came courtesy of a tap-in on the par-5 sixth but was both preceded and followed by a mix of excellent par saves from difficult positions and missed birdie opportunities.
Unfortunately, as she turned for home, the birdie chances became fewer a further between and the pressure on her short game and clutch putting began to increase. A bogey on 11 dropped her back to level-par for the round and tournament, and another on 16 left her dangerously close to the cutline facing into the final two holes.
Two closing pars were enough to secure weekend work, but Yamashita’s early exploits mean she trails by 12 at the halfway mark, although she’ll tee off four hours ahead of the final twosome and will be hoping for favourable conditions in the morning and for the wind to pick up in the afternoon.
Lauren Walsh began the day on the same score as Maguire, but struggled for consistency throughout, making seven bogeys and three birdies to find herself on the 18th tee at +4. Knowing that she likely needed a birdie to have any hope of a weekend tee time, she duly delivered, and as the evening progressed, the cutline continued to shift towards the +3 mark that would’ve seen her in.
Unfortunately, it didn’t shift quite enough, with 72 players at +2 or better and the top 70 and ties advancing, leaving Walsh on the outside looking in.
Anna Foster’s second major championship appearance was ultimately one to forget, though she’ll treat it as another learning curve having played her way in via the Final Qualifier on Monday and nearby Kyle & Penfig.
A Lim Kim and Madelene Sagstrom are among a trio at three-under, with Nelly Korda, Lottie Woad and home favourite 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.
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 sixth, brilliantly eagled the par-3 ninth.
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.
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