Second round play at the 2018 U.S. Women’s Open was delayed for several hours by inclement weather today at Shoal Creek, Alabama. Play was halted at 2:27 pm central time and resumed at 6:16 pm, and then halted again at 7:20 pm. Before the delay, Australian Sarah Jane Smith, tied for the lead through the first round, continued her stellar play by shooting a second straight 5-under par 67 to sit at 10-under par for the championship. Another Australian, Su-Hyun Oh, was also able to finish her round before the delay, shooting a 4-under par 68, putting her at 6-under par overall, tied for second. First round co-leader Ariya Jutanugarn, 1-under par through 4 holes before the delay, stayed at that score through eight holes, when play was stopped for the day, leaving her at 6-under par, tied with Oh.
Scoring Remains Tight
Seven players are tied at 3-under par, all of them finishing their rounds before the weather delay, including Swedish amateur Linn Grant, who shot even par 72, and seven-time major championship winner Inbee Park of Korea, the number one ranked player in the world, who shot 1-under par 71. Also tied at 3- under are Koreans Chella Choi (71-70), Jenny Shin (72-69), Sei Young Kim (70-71), Jihyun Kim (70-71), as well as Carlota Ciganda of Spain, who followed up a first round 73 with a 4-under par 68. There are also seven players tied at 2-under par, among them Americans Michelle Wie (through seven holes), Lindy Duncan (also through seven holes), and amateur Kristin Gillman (through six holes). Other players at 2-under par include amateur Patty Tavatanakit (through twelve holes) from Thailand, and those who finished their second rounds, Madelene Sagstrom (70-72) of Sweden, Hyo-Joo Kim (70-72) of Korea, and first round co-leader Jeongeun Lee of Korea, who followed up her magnificent bogey-free 67 of the first round with a disappointing 75.
Second Round Resumes Tomorrow
Play will resume tomorrow at 6:45 am central time, as players remaining on the course will attempt to finish their second rounds. Upon completion of the second round there will be a 36-hole cut of the top 60 players and ties, The cut is currently projected to be 4-over par. Sung Hyun Park, the defending champion, finished at 9-over par with rounds of 76-77, and will likely will miss the cut. Brooke Henderson withdrew from the championship before her round was to begin today, citing personal reasons.
