IRELAND DUO STEPHANIE Meadow and Leona Maguire made progress up the leaderboard to both finish in a tie for 11th after the second round of the women’s golf tournament.
Meadow hit a 66 and Maguire struck a 67 as both now lie on four-under at the midway mark.
They are nine shots behind the leader Nelly Korda, who fired a stunning 62 to lead the way on 13-under at the Kasumigaseki Country Club.
Korda is in pole position to secure the gold medal, four shots clear a group of three on nine-under, and her advantage could have been greater only for a double bogey six on the 18th. That was the only blemish on a card that featured nine birdies and an eagle.
Both Meadow and Maguire can be pleased with their progress. A five-under par round saw Meadow climb 25 places after her opening 72, while Maguire’s four-under par round ensured she went up 12 spots.
Meadow picked up two shots on her front nine but a bogey on the 10th left her level-par for the tournament. Then she produced a blistering run of form in her last five holes with birdies on the 14th, 15th, 16th and 18th holes.
Maguire dropped a shot on her opening hole but enjoyed a terrific front nine with shots picked up on the 4th, 6th, 7th, 8th and 10th holes. The Cavan native’s momentum stalled with a bogey on the 11th and six straight pars followed before she finished in style with a birdie on the 18th.
The pair will now play together tomorrow, and if Korda may seem out of their sight at this stage, they are only five shots off that group in a tie for second.
