LEONA MAGUIRE HAS missed the cut at the ShopRite LPGA Classic after a second consecutive round of 73 at Seaview Hotel and Golf Club in Galloway, New Jersey.
The Cavan native, who bowed out on four-over for the tournament, made a difficult start after a double-bogey on the second before a birdie on the third. She picked up two bogeys in all, and one more birdie on the 16th.
Swedish rookie Frida Kinhult fired a four-under par 67 to seize a one-stroke lead over American Lauren Coughlin after Saturday’s second round.
The 22-year-old former world amateur number one, who played college golf at Florida State University, went bogey-free to stand on nine-under 133 after 36 holes in the 54-hole event.
Kinhult took a share of 24th in last week’s US Women’s Open, the first time she made the cut in five major starts, and her best LPGA finish of 22nd came in last month’s Founders Cup.
Coughlin, who has never cracked the top 15 in an LPGA event, fired a bogey-free 65 to grab second with England’s Jodi Ewart Shadoff and Swiss Morgane Metraux sharing third on 135.
New Zealand’s Lydia Ko, who also fired a bogey-free 65, shared fifth on 136 with Swiss Albane Valenzuela, American Lindsey Weaver-Wright and Japan’s Nasa Hataoka.
Kinhult, ranked 271st, birdied the par-4 eighth, added back-to-back birdies at the par-4 12th and par-4 13th and closed with another birdie to claim the lead alone.
World number 251 Coughlin opened with a birdie, made another at the sixth, then reeled off three in a row starting at the par-5 ninth and sank another at the par-3 17th. Coughlin, 29, hit every fairway in regulation.
Additional reporting by – © AFP 2022
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