Two bunkers in 36 holes on a course that has around 130 is not a bad tally for a golfer in a major championship. But those two cost Casandra Alexander a few positions in the second round of the AIG Women’s Open on Friday.
Despite the late bogeys escaping those bunkers at Royal Porthcawl in Wales, Alexander still managed a three-under-par 69 as she climbed inside the top 10 ahead of the weekend. At two-under-par for the championship, she was in a share of 10th, but a long way off the barely credible 11-under-par 36-hole total of Japan’s Miyu Yamashita.
Yamashita had a superb seven-under 65 to pull three strokes clear of countrywoman Rio Takeda, who had a three-under 69 to move to eight-under. There were four players in a share of third on four-under, seven strokes behind Yamashita. Three players shared seventh on three-under, and Alexander shared 10th with eight other players, including world number one Nelly Korda and former world number one amateur and recently crowned Scottish Women’s Open champion Lottie Woad.
“Unfortunately, left myself in two bunkers on 16 and 17 and lipped out the putts for par to end up with bogeys,” said Alexander. “Definitely disappointed, but that’s golf. Two basic bunker shots… well, one basic bunker shot, the one 16 was on a bit of a downslope. Tried to make it work for me, but a bit of a disappointing finish, and it’s tough to set it right.”
She did, however, have the advantage of being in the first game out, so got the best of the weather conditions. “It was a little quieter this morning, but I think generally the day was quiet wind-wise,” she said. “It was an early start, so it was a little chilly this morning. But on the first five holes we barely had any wind that came up.
“It was pretty tough coming in. If I’m hitting a five-iron, some girls are hitting a wood. You just know from about 15 it’s going to play tough.”
After opening with a one-over-par 73 that included a three-putt on the very first hole of the championship, she was clearly pleased to be in her position after the second round. “It was always going to be better,” she said. “You’re just trying to get comfortable out there. It’s a big tournament, it’s a major tournament. In the beginning, you’re always a little uncomfortable. I wouldn’t really say nerves, just felt uncomfortable over the ball and settled in. I knew today would be better from the start.”
Ashleigh Buhai, the 2022 champion, made the cut with a second-successive one-over-par 72. In the end, two-over was the number which saw 71 players through to the weekend, with notables like major champions Yuka Saso of Japan, Yin Ruoning of China, German Sophia Popov, Korean Jin-Young Ko, American Lilia Vu and Canada’s Brooke Henderson missing out.
Paula Reto, who qualified for the championship at last week’s Scottish Women’s Open, missed the cut after a second round of seven-over 79 took her to 11-over through 36 holes.
For Alexander, the weekend will be all about taking what momentum she has gained so far and doing more of the same as she attempts to get closer to the top of the leaderboard.
“I think my team and I have done a really great job of navigating the course well,” she said. “Where we leave ourselves on certain holes, it’s a bit unconventional to what other people are doing, but I think we’ve nailed it down.
“Like on a par-five, people are hitting driver to try and go for it, and I’m hitting a four-iron to give myself a great number in for the third shot. It was not quite like that today, but that’s the gameplan.”
