American golfer Allisen Corpuz shot a five-under-par 67 to take a share of the second-round lead at the LPGA Tour's FM Championship in Boston. Corpuz moved to nine-under-par overall, tying with Japan's Miyu Yamashita and South Korea's Hyo Joo Kim heading into the weekend.
Yamashita, last week's winner at the CPKC Women's Open, posted a two-under 70 to stay at nine under, five days after tying the tour's 72-hole scoring record in a nine-shot victory. Kim matched Corpuz with a five-under 67 on Friday to complete the three-way tie at the summit.
Chasers and Solheim Cup Preparations
Morgane Metraux and Ruoning Yin both carded seven-under rounds of 65, joining Jenny Bae, who shot a 68, just one stroke behind the leaders at eight under par. Nataliya Guseva posted a 68 and Emily Kristine Pedersen signed for a 72 to sit at seven under par. First-round leader Sei Young Kim dropped three strokes off the lead after following her opening 64 with a 74.
World No 1 Nelly Korda shot a second consecutive round of 72 to make the cut on the number. The tournament serves as the final event before the Solheim Cup, the biennial team competition between Europe and the United States, which begins on September 11 in the Netherlands.
English duo Lottie Woad and Charley Hull, both set to represent Team Europe in the Solheim Cup, are six shots off the lead in a tie for 27th place at three under par. Woad slipped back with a one-over 73 following a promising first round, while Hull carded a two-under 70 in her second round.
European Solheim Cup captain Anna Nordqvist advanced to the weekend after rebounding from an opening 74 with a four-under 68. The Swedish veteran announced her retirement from playing golf, making the Boston event her final tournament before stepping away from active competition.
Irish Open Lead for Alexander
Across the Atlantic, South Africa's Casandra Alexander stretched her lead to five shots at the KPMG Women's Irish Open with a second-round 66 on the Ladies European Tour. Alexander moved to 15 under par for the tournament at The K Club's Palmer South Course in County Kildare.
Alexander had opened the tournament on Thursday with a course-record nine-under 63. Starting her second round on the 10th hole, she opened with an eagle, birdie, and birdie across the 10th, 11th, and 12th holes before turning in 32. She added a second eagle at the third hole, followed by a bogey at the sixth and a birdie at the seventh.
Talking about her round, Alexander said: "Not as tidy as yesterday. I left some putts right in the throat and had some awkward wedge numbers. But overall pretty good. It was always going to be hard to follow up yesterday's round. Sometimes that's really difficult to get two days really flowing and going. Two eagles helped the situation. Six-under, I'm very happy."
Alexander holds a five-stroke advantage over Sara Kouskova, who shot a 66, and Brianna Navarrosa, who carded a 65, with both players tied for second at 10 under par. Canice Screene leads the home contingent as the top Irish player in tied eighth after recording seven birdies over her final 12 holes for a 67. Compatriot Leona Maguire sits tied 26th after posting a second straight one-under 71.
Live coverage of both the KPMG Women's Irish Open and the FM Championship continues through the weekend on Sky Sports Golf and NOW, with Saturday's broadcast from Ireland starting at 2:30pm UK time.
