Golf-Japan's Yamashita surges into lead at Women's Open
PORTHCAWL, Wales (Reuters) -Japan's Miyu Yamashita surged into the lead at the AIG Women's Open with a superb second round seven-under 65 at Royal Porthcawl on Friday, with compatriot and joint overnight leader Rio Takeda three shots adrift.
England's Lottie Woad, the bookmakers' favourite despite the tournament being her first major as a professional, mounted a charge but a triple-bogey at the 16th meant she carded a two-under 70 to be nine shots adrift at the halfway point.
Reigning champion Lydia Ko of New Zealand was in grave danger of missing the cut after a disappointing round of 73 left her two over for the tournament. Definitely missing the weekend is 2023 winner Lilia Vu who finished at seven over par.
World number one Nelly Korda struggled with her putting in an even-par 72 round that left her level with Woad.
Yamashita took full advantage of the tranquil early morning conditions on the South Wales coast, setting the tone for a scintillating round with birdies at her opening two holes.
Three more birdies around the turn, another at the 13th and then a final flourish at the 18th where she sank yet another birdie putt meant she walked off with a commanding lead ahead of freshening winds expected for the later groups.
Takeda, who began the day on five-under alongside compatriot Eri Okayama, slipped back with a bogey at the sixth but a tap-in eagle at the par-five ninth got her back on track.
Two more birdies on the way back in kept this year's U.S. Open runner-up on the heels of Yamashita.
Okayama was teeing off her second round later.
SENSATION WOAD
Once again, the galleries flocked to see new sensation Woad in action as she set about making a move up the leaderboard.
The 21-year-old began in steady fashion before the birdies began to flow with four in five holes, including a majestic long putt on the 14th.
But her momentum hit the buffers at the tough 16th where her second shot found thick rough and after attempting to hack out she then took a drop on her way to a seven.
"I was angry after that but I had to move on quickly," Woad, who missed a birdie putt at the 18th, told Sky Sports.
"I'll try and put a good round together tomorrow and limit the mistakes, which I did today until the 16th."
American Lindy Duncan shot a 70 to be four-under for the tournament while Sweden's Madelene Sagstrom was a further stroke back in a group on three-under after a 69 fired her upwards.
Australia's Steph Kyriacou provided the fireworks with a wild round that included a hole-in-one at the eighth. She had only one par on the back nine, making two birdies, five bogeys and a chip-in eagle at the 18th to make the cut.
(Reporting by Martyn Herman; Editing by Ken Ferris)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
27 minutes ago
- The Star
Tennis-Zverev fights back to oust defending champion Popyrin from Canadian Open
Aug 4, 2025; Toronto, ON, Canada; Alexander Zverev (GER) celebrates after winning a set against Alexei Popyrin (AUS) during quarterfinal play at Sobeys Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images (Reuters) -Alexander Zverev rallied from a set down to beat defending champion Alexei Popyrin 6-7(8) 6-4 6-3 in Toronto and move into the semi-finals of the Canadian Open on Monday. Top seed Zverev was unable to convert two set points in a tight first set, but built up 3-0 leads in both the second and third sets to clinch the win in two hours and 42 minutes. The victory took the German's head-to-head record against Australian Popyrin to 4-0 and sent him to his 75th semi-final on the ATP Tour, joining Novak Djokovic as the only active men's tennis player to have reached the mark. "I had to tell myself, even though I lost the first set, I thought we were both playing actually quite well," said Zverev, who won the Canadian Open in 2017. "I had to find a return position in the beginning because he's a very big server, and when he gets into a rhythm, it's very difficult against him. "I did that in the second and third set. Honestly, I can't complain about much. I played one loose game on my serve in the second set, but apart from that, it was pretty good." Zverev next faces Russian Karen Khachanov, who beat Alex Michelsen of the United States 6-4 7-6(3). MBOKO'S RUN CONTINUES Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko stormed into the semi-finals of the women's tournament in Montreal with a 6-4 6-2 win over Spain's Jessica Bouzas Maneiro to continue her fairytale run. The 18-year-old, ranked 85th in the world, found herself a break down early in the second set, but won six straight games to become the first Canadian to reach the semi-finals of the Canadian Open since 2019. "I'm so excited to be in the semi-final here. I want to thank everyone for your support once again. It has been unreal," said Mboko, who beat No. 1 seed Coco Gauff on Saturday and is set to enter the top 50. Mboko next takes on Elena Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champion, who was leading 6-1 2-1 when her opponent, Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine, was forced to retire from their quarter-final match due to a wrist injury. Rybakina will meet Mboko for the second time in as many weeks, with the ninth-seeded Kazakh winning 6-3 7-5 when the pair faced off in the Washington Open last month. (Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Kate Mayberry)
The Star
2 hours ago
- The Star
Olympics-Indigenous group lodges application for federal protection of Brisbane stadium site
FILE PHOTO: A man walks at the Victoria Park-Barrambin, where the main stadium will be built for the 2032 Olympics, in Brisbane, Australia July 21, 2025. REUTERS/Nick Mulvenney/File Photo SYDNEY (Reuters) -A group representing Brisbane's two Indigenous peoples lodged an application with the Australian federal government on Tuesday for the permanent protection of the site where the city plans to build the main stadium for the 2032 Olympics. The Yagara and Magandjin peoples want the inner city Victoria Park, known to them as Barrambin, to be protected for perpetuity under the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act as a "significant Aboriginal area". "Barrambin is living country, possessing sacred, ancient and significant relationships within our cultural heritage systems," elder Gaja Kerry Charlton said in a statement on behalf of the Yagara Magandjin Aboriginal Corporation (YMAC). "It was a complete shock when the Premier came out with his stadium plans ... I thought the park was safe. Now the government wants to destroy it. We are very concerned there are ancient trees, artefacts and very important eco-systems existing there. There may be ancestral remains. "We stand resolute in our responsibility to protect it." No one at the organising committee for the Games, or the Office for the Deputy Premier of Queensland Jarrod Bleijie, who is responsible for Olympic construction, was immediately available for comment. After years of political wrangling, Queensland Premier David Crisafulli announced in March that a 63,000-seat stadium would be constructed and Victoria Park's Centenary Pool rebuilt to provide a 25,000-seat aquatics centre for the Olympics. In June, Crisafulli's government enacted legislation to exempt the Olympic building projects from normal planning rules. The Save Victoria Park campaign, which released a shared statement with YMAC on Tuesday, said June's legislation was "unprecedented" and overrode existing acts of parliament on environmental protection and First Nations rights. "We estimate the majority of the parkland and hundreds of mature trees will now be sacrificed," Save Victoria Park spokesperson Sue Bremner said. "And as we face this profound and irreversible loss of cultural heritage and human rights, Olympic organisers continue to promote 2032 as being the first Games with a Reconciliation Action Plan. It is simply astounding." Organising committee President Andrew Liveris told Reuters last month that anyone who objected to the development would be heard, but that June's legislation was essential to keep the project on track to deliver the venues before 2032. (Reporting by Nick Mulvenney, editing by Saad Sayeed)
The Star
3 hours ago
- The Star
Rugby-Former All Blacks winger Bridge signs with Western Force
MELBOURNE (Reuters) -Former New Zealand winger George Bridge has signed a two-year deal with Western Force and will return to Super Rugby next season, ending a three-year stint in French rugby. Bridge scored 12 tries in 19 tests for the All Blacks and played in the 2019 World Cup in Japan before heading abroad to play for Top 14 side Montpellier in 2022. The 30-year-old will replace Wallabies winger Harry Potter who left the Perth-based Force to join the New South Wales Waratahs. Bridge, who can also play fullback, was part of Scott Robertson's powerful Canterbury Crusaders from 2017-22, helping the South Island team win four Super Rugby titles and the domestic Super Rugby Aotearoa championship twice. "George is well known to a number of people on our staff and they can't speak highly enough of his professionalism, approach to the game and his rugby knowledge," Force coach Simon Cron said in a statement on Tuesday. "He's got a massive left foot kick. He can play multiple positions. He's a brilliant player. An amazing talent. He'll add to the guys that we have in the squad." The Force, who have never made the playoffs in any variant of Super Rugby since joining in 2006, managed only four wins last season and finished ninth in the 11-team competition. Bridge's former team, the Crusaders, won a record-extending 15th Super Rugby title. (Reporting by Ian Ransom in Melbourne; Editing by Christopher Cushing)
