World No. 1 Nelly Korda is not quite in the No. 1 spot at the 2026 U.S Women’s Open, but she is firmly in the mix on the leaderboard after a strong second round at Riviera on Friday.
After a rough start on Thursday, Korda found a new gear, carding a 4 under 67, the lowest score of the day on Friday. Korda ended the day with five birdies and now sits tied for ninth, two behind the leaders.
Korda said she went to the range after her opening round, hoping to make some adjustments to her swing.
“I still hit a few out right today, but it was much, much better,” Korda said. “Got a little bit of something going.”
At the top of the leaderboard, there’s a tie heading into the third round, as Alison Lee and Ruoning Yin sit at -4.
Yin went bogey free on Friday, while Lee had a lone bogey on the ninth.
“It’s a major, it’s tough,” Yin said. “I think everybody is aware of that. All I need to do is just stay patient because I know my game is right there.”
Lee, currently ranked No. 145 in the world, is seeking her first LPGA Tour win.
“Realistically, I thought a few years ago when I became a mom, I wouldn’t want to come back and play,” Lee said. “I thought it would be too difficult…I still have yet to win on the LPGA Tour. That’s been my biggest goal since turning pro. I feel like I had so much success in junior golf. I had a lot of success in college golf. Then when I came on Tour, I came close so many times, and I still haven’t been able to do that.”
Jennifer Kupcho, the early leader after Round 1, is now a part of a six-player tie for third, while Maja Stark, the 2025 U.S Women’s Open champion, sits at 24th after finishing the day with 71, including an eagle on the 17th.
The low amateurs heading into the weekend are 20-year-old Kiara Romero — in her third consecutive U.S Women’s Open — and 16-year-old Aphrodite Deng. The pair both sit at one over par.
Notable Cuts:
Michelle Wie West, a LPGA legend who unretired to play this year’s U.S Women’s Open at Riveira, fell below the cut line on Friday.
“Pebble felt like the good-bye,” Wie West said. “This doesn’t feel like the week that I’m ending it on. It was really fun to practice the way that I did, come back and grind. It was fun out there. I made some good birdies today. It’s fun to just hit shots under pressure. There’s really nothing I do that recreates this, so it was fun to feel it again.”
Michelle Wie with her dad at her first U.S. Women’s Open (2003) and Michelle Wie with her daughter at this year’s U.S. Women’s Open ❤️ pic.twitter.com/RtQ1b5HtGB
— claire rogers (@kclairerogers) June 5, 2026
Wie West will be a part of WTGL, a new women’s team golf league created by the LPGA and TMRW Sports. The WTGL is expected to launch in the winter of 2026 and according to the league, “will feature teams of LPGA Tour stars competing across a season of fast-paced, team match play from the custom-built SoFi Center in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.”
Lydia Ko will have to wait to secure a career grand slam, as she ended her second round with a 2 over 73, missing the cut by a stroke.
Madelene Sagstrom missed the cut after shooting a 76 on Friday. Sagstrom, who is currently 7 months pregnant, said she intends to keep playing as long as she feels good or until the LPGA Tour heads overseas in July.
“It’s so impressive,” front-runner Alison Lee said about Sagstrom’s performance. “I think people truly don’t understand it…It’s just so much stuff you have to deal with. For her being here playing, it’s so cool. It’s so awesome to see. I don’t think I could have done it when I was six, seven months pregnant.”
Find out how to watch the 81st U.S. Women’s Open, including TV coverage, streaming options, tee times and full broadcast schedule on NBC, Peacock, and USA.
