Nelly Korda of Bradenton, Florida is the leader at the halfway point of the 2024 British Women’s Open. On Friday, Korda improved her score to -8, and currently has a three stroke lead over England’s Charley Hull and American Lilia Vu. Hull and Vu are tied for second place at -5.
In the second round, Korda had four birdies and zero bogeys. She birdied the fifth, ninth, 17th, and 18th holes. Korda also shot a first round score of four-under-par. On Thursday, Korda had five birdies and one bogey. Korda birdied the fifth, ninth, 14th, and 17th and 18th holes, and bogeyed the eighth hole. It is clear Korda is comfortable finishing at St. Andrews, as she is four-under-par on the final two holes on the course after the first two days.
Korda and Vu have won two major championships each in women’s golf. Korda has won the 2021 Women’s PGA Championship, and the 2024 Chevron Championship. Vu won her two major championships in 2023. She won the 2023 Chevron Championship and the 2023 British Women’s Open. The fact that Vu is in contention is noteworthy considering the fact she has missed a significant portion of the women’s golf season on the LPGA Tour in 2024 due to a back injury.
This is the third time the British Women’s Open has been at St. Andrews. The first time came in 2007 and the second time was in 2013. The 2007 champion was Lorena Ochoa of Mexico, and the 2013 champion was Stacy Lewis of the United States. Interestingly, Ochoa was ranked first in the world 17 years ago, the same position Korda is ranked now.
