Leona Maguire’s five-month run of not missing a cut came to an end at Mountain Ridge Country Club as she fell short of the halfway mark at the Cognizant Founders Cup in New Jersey.
The European Solheim Cup star left herself too much work to do after a four-over 75 in her opening round, and a three-over 74 on day two meant she was well adrift of the required score to book a tee time for the remaining two rounds, ending a streak that stretched back to May’s Pure Silk Championship.
The exact mark has not yet been determined as a large portion of the field still have to complete their rounds due to early morning fog on both days leading to tee times being pushed back, but it looks likely to fall around level-par, well too low for Maguire to slip in.
It just hasn’t been the Slieve Russell woman’s week as she only carded two birdies in her second round – and they came late in her round at the 12th and 18th – around five bogeys, and her hopes of pulling herself up the Race to CME Globe standings will have to move on to the next event instead.
Stephanie Meadow, however, will do her placing in the order of merit some good as she completed her second round and should be safely in for the weekend at one-under after a level-par 71 on Friday in New Jersey.
While the cut could move up one stroke to one-under, it is highly unlikely to go any lower than that, meaning Meadow can rest assured she will have two more rounds at Mountain Ridge with which to try and boost her chances of getting back up into the top-80 to ensure her top flight playing rights next season.
The Jordanstown woman combined three birdies with three bogeys in a fairly unspectacular round, birdieing her opening hole and adding a further stroke at the fourth, but around that she had bogeys at the third and sixth, while on the back nine a birdie on 12 was immediately cancelled out by a dropped shot at the next hole.
Meanwhile, Olivia Mehaffey will return this morning for the back nine of her second round still with hope but knowing she needs to pick up at least three birdies to stick around for the final two days as she sits three-over for the tournament after a three-over front nine on Friday.
The Tandragee woman, who is in the field courtesy of finishing top in Monday’s qualifier, suffered a damaging four-hole stretch in which she bogeyed the second, fourth and fifth to drop outside the top-65 and she will come back this morning looking for a quick start to get back inside the mark.
At the top, overnight leader Jin Young Ko maintained her three-shot lead by reaching 10-under, still three ahead of Lindsey Weaver, So Yeon Ryu and Perrine Delacour, and she still has four holes of her second round to extend that lead.
The World No.2 had three birdies and one bogey in her 14 holes before poor light suspended play last night and she will return this morning hoping for a quick start like Mehaffey to try and hammer home her advantage at Mountain Ridge.
“I had a lot of good opportunities for birdies and left four holes for tomorrow. I will just take a rest tonight and then I will get better for tomorrow,” said Ko.
Of the chasing pack at seven-under, Delacour looks best placed to challenge Ko as she still has eight holes of her round to complete and currently sits three-under for the day, with Ryu also having four holes left to play also at three-under. Weaver, meanwhile, is already in the clubhouse after a four-under 67.
- Full scoring HERE
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