Jenny Shin surged ahead with a commanding five‑stroke lead at the ISPS HANDA Women’s Scottish Open on Friday, while fellow competitors Lottie Woad, Charley Hull and world‑number‑one Nelly Korda continued to wrestle with the gusty conditions that have defined play at Dundonald Links. Joining Shin as a co‑leader after the first round was Lauren Coughlin, who had also posted a six‑under‑par total.
However, Coughlin’s momentum faltered on the front nine of the second round, where she posted two over par before steadied herself to finish the day at even par for the round, leaving her at four under through 36 holes. Shin’s round began with a modest setback – a bogey on the opening hole – but she quickly found her rhythm, building on the confidence generated by an impressive opening‑round 66.
She posted a five‑under‑par 67 on Friday, a score that mirrored her first‑day performance and vaulted her into a five‑stroke cushion over second‑place holder Esther Henseleit, who stood at eleven under after her own solid showing. "I was aggressive when I could make birdies and tried very hard to avoid three‑putts," Shin explained after her round, noting the similarity to her 66‑stroke opening day. "I’ve never held a five‑stroke lead before, so I’ll stay patient over the next two days.
This is links golf, after all." Henseleit, who started her round on the back nine, climbed into solo second place after birdies on the 16th and 17th holes and an eagle on the par‑five third, moving her to six under after 36 holes. The cut was set at six over par. Charley Hull, after an uneven opening round of 78, found herself teetering on the cut line heading into day two.
Hull managed to steady her play, mixing four birdies with three bogeys to finish the round at one under par 71, securing her spot for the weekend and sitting at five over after two rounds. Georgia Hall, Hull’s compatriot and close friend, was unable to recover from a disastrous opening 10‑over‑par round.
A second‑day score of 14 over, comprised of six bogeys and only two birdies, saw her miss the cut. Defending champion Lottie Woad showed noticeable improvement on Friday after a two‑over‑par opening round. The 22‑year‑old began the day with a double bogey on the 12th, but quickly responded with back‑to‑back birdies on the 14th and 15th. A bogey on the 16th was followed by another birdie on the 17th, illustrating her resilience.
"It was pretty windy at the start," Woad said. "I made an early double, so I dropped two there, obviously. After that I hit some really nice iron shots, both on the fairways and the greens." Woad reached the turn at two over and then added two more birdies on holes three and five, bringing her back to even par. "I didn’t really make any putts, to be honest," she admitted.
"I could have shot a lot better, but I was much happier with how I hit the ball today compared to yesterday." World No. 1 Nelly Korda entered the day at even par but slipped to four over after her second round. Starting on the back nine, Korda had been two under through the first six holes before a bogey on 16 and a double bogey on 17 sent her score tumbling.
She managed a birdie on the fifth but then endured four straight bogeys to close with a 76, leaving her four over par. Four‑time major champion and Solheim Cup captain Anna Nordqvist also fell down the leaderboard. After a promising two‑under‑par opening round, she shot a seven‑over‑par 79 on Friday, dropping to five over after 36 holes. The tournament continues with round three scheduled to begin at 7:30 a.m.
on Saturday, broadcast live on Sky Sports Golf. Fans can also stream the action via NOW or listen to the Sky Sports Golf Podcast for additional insights. The challenging links conditions at Dundonald continue to test the field, promising more drama as the leaders strive to maintain their positions and the rest of the competitors aim to climb back into contention.