Leona Maguire and Lauren Walsh both failed to advance to the weekend rounds of the Fortinet Founders Cup in Menlo Park, California, after missing the midway cut on Friday.
The Irish pair entered the second round two shots outside the projected cut line of level par, but were unable to improve their positions at Sharon Heights Golf & Country Club. Maguire, after making birdies on the 14th and 16th holes, suffered a late-round collapse with consecutive bogeys and a double bogey, finishing with a 74 and a total score of +4, four strokes off the qualifying mark. Walsh also struggled, posting a 76 with three bogeys and a double bogey, ending at +6.
South Korea’s Hyo Joo Kim extended her lead to four strokes, carding a 2-under-par 70. Kim, a seven-time LPGA Tour winner, briefly faltered with bogeys on the 11th and 17th holes, but rallied with four birdies over her final 10 holes. Her two-day total stands at 11-under 133. Kim has missed 10 of 36 greens through two rounds, but has required only 52 putts.
Mexico’s Gaby Lopez is Kim’s nearest competitor at 7-under, while a group of seven players, including World No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand and No. 2 Nelly Korda, are a further shot back. Korda, competing in her first event since winning the weather-shortened Tournament of Champions earlier this season, shot a 68 with five birdies and one bogey. She described the Sharon Heights course as “tricky,” noting the need to carefully shape shots due to the trees and challenging greens.
“You really have to shape it out here,” Korda said. “Some of the trees are a little bit intimidating and the greens are tough, too. Not only are they really undulated, but sometimes they’re a little bit harder to read, too, where I thought it was going.”
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