–Carlota Ciganda (+3) returned an even-par round in the second day of the Aramco Championship and climbed 47 places in the leaderboard to sit inside the top 25. Cara Gainer and Hannah Screen, seventh-placed after the first round, missed the cut after shooting 85 and 87, respectively
– Of the 119 rounds completed this Friday (Linn Grant withdrew after the first round), a total of 25 were above 80 strokes. More than a fifth
– Only 11 were under par. Only two broke 70: Lauren Coughlin and Amelia Garvey. Both carded 69s
– The cut was set at a record +7, scores usually only seen in majors… and not even all of them
– Hannah Green missed the cut. She arrived at the Aramco Championship having won the last three tournaments she had played. Her total over Thursday and Friday was +8
– After 36 holes, barely ten players remain under par
– These are the statistics of a brutal round of golf at Shadow Creek, the Las Vegas course that never fails to leave anyone indifferent. The reason for the carnage: winds of 40 kilometres per hour that lashed an already hugely demanding course with hard, lightning-fast fairways and greens
– Lauren Coughlin (-8) is the standout leader at the tournament midpoint. She is the only player to have posted two rounds under 70. She has a five-shot lead over Leona Maguire (-3) and Hyo Joo Kim (-3). Both Coughlin and Maguire thrive in tough conditions and feel comfortable on this course. Lauren finished second last year, while Leona was runner-up in 2024 and third in 2023. Those recent years were played as match play. They are two players who are not long hitters and know how to capitalise on the advantages a firm course offers
– Among the players still under par, notable names include Nelly Korda (-2), Miyu Yamashita (-2), Akie Iwai (-1) and Angel Yin (-1)
– Carlota Ciganda (+3) is the best-placed Spaniard, after carding a round with two bogeys and two birdies. The Navarrese played excellent tee-to-green golf in very difficult conditions
– Also making the cut were Luna Sobrón (+5), Julia López (+5) and Carla Tejedo (+7). A day of survival in the office. Luna will play all four days after hitting 16 greens in two rounds. Carla hit 17. These two numbers say a lot about their excellent short game over these two rounds
– The only Spaniard to miss the cut was Nuria Iturrioz (+11)
– A fine showing from the women’s world top 10 in this demanding test. Of the world’s top 10, eight made the cut this week. Only Hannah Green and Minjee Lee missed out, interestingly the two players who have been competing in recent weeks
