Aditi Ashok, playing in her record 30th Major in women’s golf, managed to squeeze inside the cut line at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship despite a tough second round. Despite five bogeys and no birdies, she carded a round of 77, bringing her total to 5-over 149. This tied her for 64th place, right on the cut line after her first round of even par 72 at Sahalee Country Club. Aditi, set to compete in her third Olympics in Paris this August, has two more rounds to improve her position over the weekend.
Meanwhile, Sarah Schmelzel, who had a dip in form after a string of strong performances in late February and March, seems to be back in her groove. Her impressive run included a career-best second-place finish. However, she missed five cuts in six events following that, with a 66th-place finish in between. In the second round, the 30-year-old Schmelzel played exceptionally well. She capitalized on easier scoring conditions in the morning to shoot a tournament-best, 5-under-par 67, propelling her into a tie for the lead with Amy Yang (68), who was hampered by back pain.
Schmelzel and Yang sit at 6-under 138 over two rounds, two shots ahead of first-round leader Lexi Thompson, Hinako Shibuno, and Jin Young Ko, all of whom played in the morning wave. Schmelzel ended her day with two consecutive birdies, maintaining her strong performance after checking the leaderboard before the 18th hole and seeing her name at the top.
