European Solheim Cup hopefuls Lottie Woad and Charley Hull found themselves six strokes off the leaders at the LPGA Tour's FM Championship, while their American counterpart Allisen Corpuz shared the top spot as the weekend approached. The English pair were tied for 27th place, both sitting three under par after the first round. Woad, after a promising start, slipped to a one‑over 73, whereas Hull posted a solid two‑under 70.
In contrast, Corpuz carded an impressive 67, joining Japan’s rising star Miyu Yamashita—who had just clinched a victory on the LPGA Tour the previous week—and Korea’s Hyo Joo Kim, all three sitting at nine under par. Yamashita remains in contention just five days after she equaled the tour’s 72‑hole scoring record with a nine‑under triumph at the CPKC Women’s Open. She added a two‑under 68 in the second round to stay at nine under, while Corpuz and Kim each recorded five‑under rounds on Friday, keeping the leaderboard tightly packed. Morgane Metraux and Ruoning Yin both posted 65s, sitting just one stroke behind the leaders, while Jenny Bae posted a 68.
Nataliya Guseva and Emily Kristine Pedersen were at seven under after posting 68 and 72 respectively. First‑round leader Sei Young Kim, after an opening 64, stumbled with a 74 and fell three strokes back. In other news, World No. 1 Nelly Korda recorded her second consecutive 72‑hole round of even par to make the cut at the final pre‑Solheim Cup event in the Netherlands, which will be televised live on Sky Sports starting September 11.
European captain Anna Nordqvist also advanced to the weekend in what will be her last tournament before retirement, bouncing back from an opening 74 with a steady 68. South Africa’s Casandra Alexander extended her lead to five strokes at the KPMG Women’s Irish Open after a second‑round 66 lifted her to 15 under par for the tournament.
Alexander opened the event with a historic nine‑under 63 on Thursday—a record for the Palmer South Course at The K Club—and continued her aggressive play with an eagle‑birdie‑birdie stretch on holes 10, 11 and 12. She made the turn in 32, followed by another eagle on the third hole, a bogey on the sixth, and a birdie on the seventh. Her current margin puts her five shots ahead of Sara Kouskova (66) and Brianna Navarrosa (65).
Reflecting on her performance, Alexander said, "It wasn’t as tidy as yesterday. I left a few putts short and had some awkward wedge numbers, but overall it was pretty good.
It was always going to be tough to follow up the previous round. Sometimes it’s difficult to have two days flow perfectly. The two eagles helped a lot; finishing six under, I’m very happy." On the Irish side, Canice Screene emerged as the top local player, tied for eighth after birdying seven of her last twelve holes to finish with a 67. Leona Maguire sat tied for 26th after posting another one‑under 71.
Fans can follow the action at the KPMG Women’s Irish Open and the FM Championship throughout the weekend via Sky Sports’ live coverage, which continues on Saturday from 2:30 pm on Sky Sports Golf. Viewers also have the option to stream without a contract through NOW, and can take advantage of the latest Sky Sports deals.
For those looking to play the courses themselves, the platform offers competitive pricing and bookings at over 1,700 courses across the UK and Ireland. Users can simply enter a course name, city, or postal code to find availability.
If no results appear, the system suggests trying a different search term. Overall, the week has showcased a blend of emerging talent and seasoned veterans battling for position ahead of the Solheim Cup, with the European contingent striving to close the gap on the American leaders while individual players like Alexander and Korda demonstrate the depth and excitement present on the women’s professional circuit.