Japanese players are dominating Women's British Open while some notable stars miss the cut
Miyu Yamashita and Rio Takeda embrace after completing the second round of the Women's British Open.
David Cannon
Miyu Yamashita and Rio Takeda are giving Japan the best chance to have a countrywoman win another major this season, this time at the AIG Women’s British Open.
Grouped together in the first two rounds, Yamashita and Takeda put considerable distance between themselves and the rest of the field at Royal Porthcawl and will play together again on Saturday.
Yamashita, an LPGA rookie who turns 24 on Saturday, used a bogey-free seven-under 65 to get to 11 under and take a three-shot lead into the weekend. Takeda, 22, a two-time LPGA winner, shot a second-round 69 and is in solo second, four shots ahead of the next group.
World No. 15 Yamashita is on the cusp of her first victory as a member of the LPGA, but she has plenty of experience hoisting trophies. She won 13 times on the LPGA of Japan Tour.
“I haven't particularly worried about expected scores until now. I'm always thinking about competing for a high ranking in each tournament, and I just played with my day in mind. So I'm glad that my score and ranking worked out,” Yamashita said.
If a Japanese player captures the Women’s Open, she’ll join countrywoman and Chevron Championship winner Mao Saigo as major champions this season. Saigo is one over so far this week, 12 shots back.
Young English star Lottie Woad made the cut in her first major as a pro after shooting a 70 on Friday. Her round included a triple bogey on the 16th, which could’ve spelled disaster, but she continues to play seemingly unfrazzled and her six birdies sure left room for a blemish or two. She’s tied for 10th, nine shots back.
Defending champion Lydia Ko and two major winners from this year, Minjee Lee and Grace Kim, made the cut on the number at two over, with a whopping 19 players tied for 53rd place. Ko bogeyed holes 14, 15 and 16, but parred the final two.
Lindy Duncan is the top American on the board, tied for third at four under after a pair of 70s. There are three Americans tied for 10th at two under—World No. 1 Nelly Korda, Megan Khang and Andrea Lee.
Korda, who shot 70 in the second round, is seeking her first win of the sesaon and could lose her top ranking to No. 2 Jeeno Thitkul this week after holding it for 71 consecutive weeks. Thitikul is tied for 19th at one under.
Former World No. 1 Yani Tseng shot 73-73 to make her first cut in a major since 2017, when she finished tied for 30th at the Women’s Open. Tseng, a five-time major winner, including Open titles in 2010 and ’11, had the yips and changed to putting left-handed.
“I'm fighting really hard to be here,” Tseng said. “I'm proud of myself that I didn't give up. I gave myself a chance to come back here, and play a links course like this, it's always a dream. This is one of my favorite golf courses—links style—playing the imagination shot. I feel like I was playing a little slow because of very tough conditions out there this afternoon, but I'm proud of myself. I stayed patient. I keep telling myself, ‘It's OK, one shot at a time.’”
Television viewers in the U.S. weren’t able to see Tseng’s effort to make the cut because the broadcast had ended. There were 33 players still on the course when USA Network signed off, and there was no further streaming coverage on the NBC Sports app.
There’s still plenty of time left for players to catch Yamashita and Takeda, but some big names won’t have that opportunity. Maja Stark, who won the U.S. Women’s Open in June, shot a six-over 78 Friday and missed the cut, along with World No. 4 Ruoning Yin and 12th-ranked Jin Young Ko.
Two-time major winner Brooke Henderson shot a four-over 76 Saturday, a round that included four bogeys and a double bogey. Rose Zhang’s struggles this season continued, and she started her round on Friday with three consecutive bogeys. She recovered from the troublesome start with five consecutive pars, but the damage was done as she finished with a four-over 76 and lost out on another opportunity to win her first major.
Lilia Vu—who won the Chevron Championship and Women’s British Open in 2023–missed the cut, marking the sixth straight tournament she has not made the weekend.