This post summarizes the results of round 2 for the 2024 Women’s Open at St. Andrews and my replay at Birthplace (par 72). Previous posts describe the replay setup and both sets of results for round 1.
The wind died down a bit on day two of the tournament, shifting from Blustery in R1 to Moderate in R2. While this made almost no difference in the actual event, it shaved off 0.7 strokes on average between rounds for the replay (despite slightly harder pin placements on Day 2).
Actual Results
On Friday, 23 August 2024, Nelly Korda posted her second consecutive round of 68 to finish the day at 8-under par with a total score of 136 . Her consistent play put her in sole possession of the lead heading into the weekend.
Three shots behind Korda were Charley Hull and Lilia Vu, tied for second at 5-under. Hull opened with a 67 but shot a 72 in the second round, while Vu recorded rounds of 69 and 70 for a total of 139.
Ruoning Yin held fourth place at 4-under after rounds of 68 and 72. Slipping two spots from a tie for second place after round 1, she remained within striking distance heading into the third round.
A group of six players were tied for fifth at 3-under after round 2–each with a total score of 141. Casandra Alexander bounced back from an opening round 73 with a 68 in round 2. Ashleigh Buhai and Pei-Yun Chien each recorded rounds of 72 and 69, while Lydia Ko followed up her 71 with a 70. Mao Saigo, who began with a 69, added a 72 to her total. Amateur Louise Rydqvist posted one of the best scores of the day, a 5-under 67, after opening with a 74 to join the group at 3-under.
With several players close behind, the tournament remained open as it moved into the third round. The actual Day 2 leaderboard is shown below:
Replay Results
Nelly Korda leads by one after the second round of the replay with a total score of 137, finishing at 7-under par. Korda followed her opening round of 68 with a 69, putting her in first place heading into the weekend.
Close behind is Jeeno Thitikul in second place at 6-under par. She posted back-to-back rounds of 69 for a total score of 138.
Two players are tied for third at 5-under: Jennifer Kupcho and Mao Saigo. Kupcho improved on her first-round 71 with a 68 in round two, while Saigo recorded scores of 70 and 69. Both players are a mere two shots off the lead with a total of 139.
Ally Ewing and Alison Lee are tied for fifth at 4-under par. Ewing opened with a 68 but shot 72 in the second round, while Lee carded rounds of 69 and 71, bringing both to a two-day total of 140.
A tightly packed group of eight players sits at 3-under, tied for seventh place with totals of 141. That group includes Celine Boutier (71-70), Hye-jin Choi (71-70), Lauren Coughlin (72-69), Linn Grant (68-73), Bailey Tardy (71-70), Lexi Thompson (73-68), Lilia Vu (69-72), and Angel Yin (72-69).
With 14 players within four shots of the lead, the tournament is wide open heading into the third round.
The Day 2 replay leaderboard is provided below:
Tracking the actual event’s first and second place finishers, Lydia Ko (1st) moved into a tie for fifth at 3-under par (71-70) in the actual event but is tied for 30th at 2-over (74-73) in the replay. Meanwhile, Nelly Korda (T-2) finished first in both the actual event and the replay after round 2. Lilia Vu (T-2) recorded top ten finishes in both the actual and replay events after R2 as well. Ruoning Yin (T-2), with scores of 75 and 73, is tied for 33rd in the replay event at 3-over par.
Round 2 Replay Highlights
In round 2 A Lim Kim made an impressive power play by driving the green on par 4 hole 7 with a 305-yard tee shot. However, it was Jin Hee Im who recorded the longest drive of the day at a massive 330 yards.
In terms of consistency, Madelene Sagström led all players in average driving distance over two measured holes at 278 yards (well above the field average of 247), while Lexi Thompson topped the list for average driving distance across all drives at 268 yards (compared to a 245-yard average).
Accuracy off the tee was showcased by Mao Saigo and Hye-jin Choi, both of whom hit all 16 fairways—well above the field average of 12.6. Nelly Korda demonstrated superb approach play, hitting all 18 greens in regulation, compared to an overall average of 14.1 for the second round.
On the greens, there were highs and lows. Esther Henseleit rolled in the longest putt of the day—an 84-footer on hole 2—while Lilia Vu amassed the greatest total distance of putts made at 206 feet. (The average was 87.7 feet). By contrast, Georgia Hall flubbed a 1-foot putt on hole 3, and Andrea Lee 4-putted hole 8.
In terms of overall putting performance, Bailey Tardy, Lexi Thompson, and Maja Stark shared the fewest putts at just 27, well below the field average of 31.7 for the round. Meanwhile, Sarah Schmelzel and Jasmine Suwannapura had the most putts with 37 each.
Comparing this round’s putting performance with all 589 rounds of APBA golf I’ve played using the LPGA card sets, we see both extremes. Lilia Vu set the women’s record for total distance of putts made in a single round with 206 feet. Esther Henseleit also delivered a remarkable performance with 176 feet of putts made in the same round. (Birthplace’s enormous greens are, no doubt, a contributing factor.) Nelly Korda, on the other hand, came close to breaking the record for shortest total distance of putts made–just 36 feet! The record of 35 feet is held by Minjee Lee (2023) at Sandhills (Pinehurst #2).
The high- and lowlights for round 2 are summarized below:
- A Lim Kim drove the par 4 green on hole no. 7 with a 305-yard tee shot.
- Madelene Sagström led all players in average driving distance (two holes) at 278 yards. (Avg. = 247)
- Lexi Thompson led all players in average driving distance (all drives) at 268 yards. (Avg. = 245)
- Jin Hee Im had the longest drive at 330 yards.
- Mao Saigo, Hye-jin Choi hit 16 of 16 fairways. (Avg. = 12.6)
- Nelly Korda hit 18 of 18 greens in regulation. (Avg. = 14.1)
- Esther Henseleit sunk the longest putt at 84 feet on hole no. 2.
- Georgia Hall missed a 1-ft putt on hole no. 3.
- Lilia Vu had the longest total distance of putts made at 206 feet (Avg. = 87.7).
- Bailey Tardy, Lexi Thompson, and Maja Stark had the fewest putts at 27 (Avg. = 31.7)
- Sarah Schmelzel and Jasmine Suwannapura took the most putts at 37.
- Andrea Lee 4-putted hole no. 8.