Superb Lottie Woad snatches lead at Evian Championship as Nelly Korda crashes out
Lottie Woad will take a one-shot lead into the weekend at the fourth women's major of the year.
England's Lottie Woad will take a one-shot lead into the weekend at the fourth women's major of the year.
The 22-year-old shot up the leaderboard on day two of the Evian Championship at Evian-les-Bains.
Woad mixed eight birdies and one bogey to sign for a seven-under 64 and reach 11-under par after 36 holes.
She leads Japan's Akie Iwai by one stroke, with her compatriot Charley Hull also inside the top 10.
Pre-tournament favourite and world number one, Nelly Korda, was among those to miss the cut.
"I hit a lot of fairways and greens, which is definitely the key round here," said Woad.
"If you get in trouble off the tee it can be pretty difficult, so [I have] just been trying to hit my lines.
"Just made a few more putts today really."
Woad said her driving has been key over the first 36 holes.
"I've been very good off the tee," she said.
"The tee shots are important round here, and if you do that, you can have a lot of wedges and chances."
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Position | Player Name | Total |
1 | Lottie Woad | -11 |
2 | Akie Iwai | -10 |
3 | Mao Saigo | -8 |
3 | Hae-Ran Ryu | -8 |
5 | Erika Hara | -6 |
5 | Nastasia Nadaud | -6 |
5 | Miyu Yamashita | -6 |
5 | Charley Hull | -6 |
5 | Atthaya Thitikul | -6 |
10 | Hinako Shibuno | -5 |
10 | Perrine Delacour | -5 |
10 | Anna Nordqvist | -5 |
10 | Jin-Hee Im | -5 |
10 | Brooke Henderson | -5 |
10 | Auston Kim | -5 |
10 | Maja Stark | -5 |
As for Korda, the 27-year-old American was bidding to win her third major title of the season following on from her success at the Chevron Championship and the U.S. Women's Open.
She opened with an error-strewn 74 and, despite bouncing back with a two-under 69, missed the cut by one stroke.
It represents her first missed cut in more than two years.
Korda decided against speaking to the media after the opening round and also made a swift exit from France on Friday.
Hull's bid to win a first major title is still alive but she will need something extra special over the weekend if she is to catch Woad.
The Kettering-born LPGA Tour star finished one shot behind the aforementioned Korda at last month's U.S. Women's Open at Riviera.
It represented her fifth runner-up finish in a major championship since turning professional.
"I played decent," she said. "I hit 17 greens in regulation. I played good."
Hull admitted she struggled to sleep last night but, for the most part, dealt with the heat well.
Asked if she is going to "lean in" on anything she learned from her near miss in Los Angeles, Hull said: "Just stay calm and collected and breath."
Other notables to miss the cut included Hannah Green, Leona Maguire, Carlota Ciganda and Mimi Rhodes.
Ben Smith joined the GolfMagic team in September 2021, initially as a content executive.
These days, he assumes the position of content manager.
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