South Korean Shin Ji-yai and Japan’s Yuri Fudoh were halfway leaders on 10 under par after shooting 68 in windy conditions at the women’s British Open here on Friday.
Shin, who plays on the Korean Tour, and Fudoh, the leading light on the Japanese circuit, highlighted their rounds with eagles at the long 10th.
Shin, 20, hit her four iron second to two feet, while Fudoh followed a seven wood approach with a seven-foot putt.
The Asian pair led by one from US player Juli Inkster, who followed her 65 with a 70, while just three shots off the lead was the defending champion and world No. 1 Lorena Ochoa.
With a handful of birdies in a 68, the Mexican stood on seven-under-par, and she warned her rivals.
“I like my chances. It was very hard with the wind today, but I played well and I’m feeling very good for the weekend,” she said.
One player relieved to make the cut was Annika Sorenstam, playing in her 57th and final major.
The former world No. 1, who has 10 majors among 88 worldwide career wins, made it by one shot on even par after a second successive 72.
The Swede seemed to be heading for an early exit when she dropped three shots in a row from the fifth, but a similar run of birdies from the ninth repaired the damage.
Sorenstam, the 2003 champion, has only missed the cut four times in majors, and she admitted: “It’s disappointing, because I wanted to come here and enjoy it and not be worried about playing at the weekend.”
Fudoh, 31, had Englishman Pete Coleman, the long-time caddie to Bernhard Langer, at her side, and it proved to be a good team.
“But it’s only two rounds, there’s a long way to go,” insisted Fudoh, who is aiming to join Chako Higuchi (1977 LPGA Championship) as a women’s major winner.
American Laura Diaz made her mark by equaling an LPGA record with three eagles in a 72 for six-under-par. The third LPGA She holed from three feet at the par-five first, from 30-feet at the long 10th and then holed a 65-yard wedge shot for a two at the par-four 11th.
Cristie Kerr, the American who won last year’s US Women’s Open, carded the low round of the day, and moved to within two of the lead on eight-under after a 65.
France’s Gwladys Nocera also showed better second day form. The European No. 1 had half a dozen birdies in a 69 to stand on two-under-par.
Taiwan’s Yani Tseng (曾雅妮) and Candie Kung (龔怡萍) were joint 13th in a group of six at five-under-par.
Taiwan kept their hopes of advancing to next year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Saturday, backed by solid pitching. Taiwan last night played against Nicaragua. As of press time, Nicaragua was leading 6-0. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan on Saturday kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen struck out one and allowed no hits, except for a hit-by-pitch over
Taiwan kept its hopes of advancing to the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome last night, backed by solid pitching. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. The win was crucial for Taiwan, as a loss would have eliminated the team from contention for the next WBC. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen (沙子宸) struck out one and allowed no hits, except for
Team Taiwan are set to face Spain in a win-or-go-home match tonight for the final berth at the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC), despite losing to Nicaragua 6-0 in the WBC qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Sunday. The home team’s loss on Sunday means Nicaragua finish first in the qualifier round in Taipei with a perfect 3-0 record and advances to next year’s finals. After crushing South Africa 9-1 earlier on Sunday, Spain took second place in the four-team qualifier with a 2-1 record. With a 1-2 record, Taiwan finished third while South Africa placed at the bottom with
Team Taiwan avoided missing the World Baseball Classic (WBC) for the first time by defeating Spain 6-3 in a do-or-die game in Taipei last night. After narrowly escaping a mercy-rule loss to Spain in the WBC Qualifiers opener on Friday last week, the home team — winner of last year's WBSC Premier12 title three months ago — got their revenge against the 2023 European champions at Taipei Dome. "It felt quite different from when we won the Premier12," Taiwan captain Chen Chieh-hsien (陳傑憲) said after the game, recalling the ups and downs the team has experienced over the past few days. Unlike in
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