Evian Championship: Big Names Well Off the Pace After Day 2

In Gee Chun leads by two at the halfway mark of the Evian Championship, but Lydia Ko is in a familiar position from her win here in 2015.

The LPGA Tour has not provided a lot of parity this season, but we’re finally seeing some at the Evian Championship. A mixed leaderboard at the top has the game’s big names scrambling to get back into contention with 36 holes to go.

That’s not to knock the talent leading the way in Evian-Les-Bains, France — in fact, several major champions litter the top 10. In Gee Chun, last year’s U.S. Open champion and the current world No. 7, has stormed to a two-stroke lead. Her rounds of 63 and 66 put her at 13-under for the week. The 22-year-old has broken 70 just once in six previous rounds at this event, so we’ll have to wait and see if she can keep it going at what was once a hostile course.

More from Pro Golf Now

Speaking of 22-year-old Koreans with U.S. Open success, No. 12 Sung Hyun Park (63-68) shares second place at 11-under. Park co-led this summer’s U.S. Open through 54 holes before falling back to a tie for third, and she could benefit from her first jump into the deep end this time around. She is tied with 2012 LPGA Championship winner and current No. 15 Shanshan Feng (64-67).

Lydia Ko (70-68) is nine strokes back. However, her current score of four-under-par is exactly where she was through 36 holes at last year’s event, when she rallied on the weekend to run away with a six-stroke victory. A tight leaderboard lies ahead of the world No. 1, but she can easily break out of her tie for 13th and make a bid at the trophy.

fantasy golf /

World No. 2 Ariya Jutanugarn (73-67) is tied with her sister Moriya (69-71), a top-100 golfer in her own right, in 27th place at two-under-par. Ariya was in danger of missing the cut after a first round 73, but she returned to form on Friday, coming in with a bogey-free 67.

World No. 3 Brooke Henderson (69-71) is another one of the nine golfers at two-under-par. Since winning the Cambia Portland Classic on June 30, the 19-year-old (one of seven under the age of 25 in the world’s top 10) has fared no better than a tie for 14th in five starts.

Rounding out the top five in the world is No. 4 Lexi Thompson (73-70), who sits at one-under in a tie for 49th. She could still pick up her third major top 10 of the year, but the mountain to climb back into title contention seems about as steep as the adjacent Alps.

Along with Ko, the other two major champions of this event, which became the women’s fifth major in 2013, made the cut. Hyo Joo Kim and Suzann Pettersen, the champs in 2014 and 2013, are at even-par and one-over, respectively.

Notable names to miss the cut at three-over include : Na Yeon Choi (WD), Mirim Lee (+10), Caroline Hedwall (+10), Karrie Webb (+8), Bronte Law (+8), Caroline Masson (+6), 2016 U.S. Open Champion Brittany Lang (+5), Juli Inkster (+4) and Morgan Pressel (+4).

Top 10 Leaderboard

1. In Gee Chun (63-66) — 13-under

T2. Shanshan Feng (64-67) and Sung Hyun Park (63-68) — 11-under

4. So Yeon Ryu (66-66) — 10-under

5. Angela Stanford (65-68) — nine-under

T6. Brittany Lincicome (68-66) and Eun-Hee Ji (66-68) — eight-under

8. Jennifer Song (68-67) — seven-under

T9. Candie Kung (69-67) and Danielle Kang (68-68) — six-under

Next: Top 20 U.S. Open Triumphs

Who’s your pick to win the Evian Championship? Let us know on Twitter or Facebook, and keep it here at Pro Golf Now for more Evian Championship updates.

Home/Ladies European Tour