LOS ANGELES — Alison Li took a share of the lead with a second-round 68 on the 81st U.S. Ladies’s Open in her hometown of Los Angeles on Friday, tying Ruoning Ying on the crowded Riviera leaderboard at 4-under 138.
After struggling on Thursday, world No. 1 Nelly Korda shot her worst spherical of the day with a 67 to maneuver inside two strokes of profitable her first Ladies’s Open title.
Opening spherical leaders Jennifer Kupcho, Sei-young Kim and Mexico’s Gabby Lopez had been in a gaggle of six at 3-under 139, whereas Korda and three others had been tied at 140.
The 100-year-old nation membership’s historic course will host the U.S. Ladies’s Open for the primary time, nevertheless it’s been an unforgiving course for the world’s high gamers. Solely two gamers had a bogey-free spherical on Friday. That features China’s Ying, who semi-jokingly referred to as Riviera “passive-aggressive” regardless of being the one fighter up to now to hit two sub-70 rounds.
“I like it,” Yin mentioned. “I at all times say the harder (the course), the higher.”
Yin shot her second consecutive 69 in the identical metropolis the place she earned her first LPGA Tour victory in 2023, months earlier than profitable the Ladies’s PGA Championship. She tied for fourth eventually 12 months’s U.S. Open at Erin Hills.
Lee performed beneath par for the second consecutive day at Riviera, and consecutive birdies proper earlier than the flip had been notable. The brand new mom’s first two rounds are an extension of her sturdy begin to the season, which noticed her end third on the Mizuho Americas Open 4 weeks in the past.
“It might be fairly cool to win in mainly the yard the place I grew up,” Lee mentioned. I do not need to get forward of myself…however if you happen to had advised me at the start of the week that I might be right here, I in all probability would have began crying. ”
Lee, 31, grew up outdoors of Valencia and had a stellar junior profession earlier than starting his professional profession at UCLA. She has performed within the Solheim Cup twice, however is but to win on the LPGA Tour and has solely two top-10 finishes in 44 majors.
“I am not going to lie, it has been very troublesome,” Lee mentioned. “I have been by means of some phases, some slumps in my profession since I used to be about 15 years outdated. … It doesn’t matter what I did, regardless of how a lot I practiced, it simply wasn’t going the best way I needed it to.”
Lee then took most of final 12 months off to provide beginning to her son, Levi. She says her 13-month-old has recurrently disrupted her sleep routine nowadays, however her dad and mom and prolonged household in Valencia have helped ease among the pressure throughout the British Open.
Levi was in attendance for Friday’s spherical, however his associate solely took him out to observe the 18th gap. As a result of Levi tends to get excited. He yelled “Ball!” Throughout his mom’s backswing on the Chevron Championships earlier this 12 months.
Surrounded by her household, Lee is lastly having the second she’s been ready for for years.
“I really feel like we have undoubtedly fallen wanting what we might have achieved right here throughout our tour,” Lee mentioned. “It was undoubtedly actually irritating. I am at a spot now the place I can wholeheartedly settle for that, however like I mentioned, that is a part of why I need to come again and play. I really feel like I got here shut a number of instances.”
Kim trailed Kupcho by one stroke after the primary spherical and moved into the lead early within the second spherical regardless of hitting one over on the entrance 9. She dropped the lead in one of many ultimate teams of the day with a bogey on the 18th.
Kupcho carded his solely 66 of the event up to now on Thursday earlier than slugging it out with a 73 within the second spherical.
Among the many gamers who missed the 36-hole lower had been world No. 3 Kim Hyo-joo, three-time main champion Lydia Ko, five-time main champion Yani Tseng, and Michelle Wie West, who almost retired from golf in 2023.
Wie West, 36, returned to aggressive motion final month on the Mizuho Americas Open, however at the moment has no plans to play past this U.S. Open.
She used the ultimate 12 months of her 2014 U.S. Open championship exemption to bat seven over at Riviera, the previous membership of her late stepfather, Lakers icon Jerry West. Her husband, Johnny West, was her caddy.
“Clearly, I’d be mendacity if I mentioned I wasn’t upset,” Wie West mentioned. “I want I might have performed right this moment, however actually, it has been a number of enjoyable taking part in right here on the Rib. It was a really particular week to have the ability to play and have household, buddies and a number of acquainted faces come out. It was a number of enjoyable. I hit some good photographs, I made some good putts, and I felt that feeling once more. It is superior.”
