CATRIONA MATTHEW, the only Scot in the field, safely made the cut after a second-round 73 but was a long way behind the leader at the Evian Championship in France.
On a three-over-par 145, the North Berwick 46-year-old was a dozen shots behind the halfway leader, South Korea’s Mi Hyang Lee, with English teenager Charley Hull the top Briton on two under par after two successive 70s.
Matthew is in team Europe for the defence of the Solheim starting in Germany a week today – Europe is seeking a third win in a row. But it wasn’t a good week for several others.
Europe’s Caroline Masson, Caroline Hedwall, Azahara Munoz and Melissa Reid missed the cut that fell on five over par. They were joined on the sidelines by Americans Paula Creamer, Brittany Lang, Angela Stanford and Brittany Lincicome.
Creamer, a former Evian winner and a Solheim Cup star since 2005, is going through a really poor patch. She set an LPGA record of never missing a cut in 75 tournaments from August 2010 to May 2014. But, after rounds of 74 and 79, she has now missed four in a row.
Lee added a 67 to her opening 66 to take the outright halfway lead, one ahead of American Morgan Pressel.
Pressel carded the best round of the week, a six under par 65, as she set about adding a second major to the Kraft Nabisco Championship she won as an 18-year-old in 2007.
It’s five years since Pressel won on the LPGA Tour, but she hit form with eight birdies, including a couple from inside two feet.
“I had a really good three days last week with my coach Ron Stockton back home and I just really prepared for these two weeks,” said Pressel, who will be in Team USA for the Solheim.
“I’ve tried to stay positive. This is my 10th year here and I just hope to keep playing the same way over the weekend. I’ll try and battle it out over the next two days.”
American Lexi Thompson, joint leader with Lee after the opening round, could only manage a one over par 72 and was five off the lead and alongside World No. 2, Lydia Ko.
The 18-year-old is trying to replace Pressel as the youngest ever winner of a women’s major, and she goes into the weekend five off the lead.
Wearing tape on her knee and ankle – “I turned my ankle walking down the 14th yesterday, but it’s not sore enough to bother me” – Ko dropped a shot at the last for a second successive 69.
World No.1 Park In-Bee, the Ricoh Women’s British Open winner at Turnberry last month, also shot 69 but has eight shots to make up to catch Lee.
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