New Mom Alison Lee, Yin Top Crowded 36-Hole Leaderboard at Riviera

A tightly packed leaderboard emerged through 36 holes of the 81st U.S. Women’s Open Presented by Ally, with Alison Lee and Ruoning Yin sharing the lead at 4-under-par 138 at The Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, Calif.

 

Lee, competing on a deferred maternity leave exemption after the birth of her son, Levi, 13 months ago, followed an opening-round 70 with a 3-under 68. Yin, the 2023 KPMG Women’s PGA champion, posted a second consecutive 69.

 

Six players sit one stroke behind the co-leaders at 3-under 139, including 2015 U.S. Women’s Open champion In Gee Chun, first-round leader Jennifer Kupcho, 2020 KPMG Women’s PGA champion Sei Young Kim and 2019 AIG Women’s Open champion Hinako Shibuno.

 

Nelly Korda surged into contention with the low round of the day, a 4-under 67, to move within two strokes of the lead at 2-under 140. The world No. 1 recorded five birdies against one bogey and will enter the weekend in position to contend for her first U.S. Women’s Open title.

 

Lauren Coughlin, Sora Kamiya and Casandra Alexander also stand at 2-under 140.

 

The championship remains wide open entering the weekend, with eight players within one stroke of the lead and 16 players within three strokes. World No. 2 Jeeno Thitikul is among a group at even-par 142, just four shots back.

 

The cut came at 4-over 146, with 68 players advancing to the weekend, including 63 professionals and five amateurs.

 

A Southern California native and former UCLA standout, Lee is seeking her first LPGA Tour victory and would become just the third mother to win the U.S. Women’s Open, joining Susie Maxwell Berning and Juli Inkster.

 

NOTABLE

• For just the second time in U.S. Women's Open history, as many as eight players will be within one shot of the lead after 36 holes. The only other instance came in 1995 at Broadmoor Golf Club, when 12 players were within one shot.
• Jennifer Kupcho led after the first round at 5-under par, while the second-round leaders are now at 4-under. The last U.S. Women's Open in which the leading score relative to par after Round 1 was less than after Round 2 was 2010 at Oakmont CC, where Brittany Lang led after 18 holes at 2-under, and Paula Creamer and Sakura Yokomine led after 36 holes at even par.
• Nelly Korda shot outright low round of the day in Round 2,  at 4-under (67) -- the sixth time she has accomplished that in a major. Three of those have come this year alone, having shot 65-65 in the first two rounds of the Chevron Championship. She matches Brooke Henderson for the most such rounds by any player since Korda's major championship debut at the 2013 U.S. Women's Open.
• Nelly Korda was T-56 entering today's second round. The only eventual champion in U.S. Women's Open history to be outside the top 50 on the leaderboard at the end of the first round was Sung Hyun Park, who was T-58, 7 strokes back, in 2017 at Trump National GC.
• Including her round of 69 (-2) on Friday, Ruoning Yin has shot even par or better in each of her last six U.S. Women's Open rounds, dating back to the first round of 2025. Since 2000, only three other players have achieved a streak that long: So Yeon Ryu (2016 Round 3 through 2017 Round 4), Stacy Lewis (2014 Round 4 through 2016 Round 1), and Inbee Park (2007 Round 3 through 2008 Round 4).
• Alison Lee is looking for her first LPGA victory. Recent players whose first LPGA win came at the U.S. Women's Open include Allisen Corpuz (2023), Yuka Saso (2021), and A Lim Kim (2020).  Corpuz and Hillary Lunke (2003) are the only Americans since 1990 to have won the USWO as their first LPGA title.
• Lauren Coughlin, 33, has made her first cut at the U.S. Women's Open after shooting 72-68. The last Americans to make the cut at this championship for the first time at that age or older were Sue Ginter-Brooker (36) and Michele Vinieratos (33) in 2002.
• Hinako Shibuno (2nd in 2024, 7th in 2025) and Rio Takeda (T-9 in 2024, T-2 in 2025) are the only players to finish in the top 10 in each of the last two U.S. Women's Opens. The last players to accomplish that feat in three consecutive years were Jin Young Ko and Megan Khang, who both finished in the top 10 in 2020, 2021, and 2022.
• In Gee Chun, who sits one shot behind the leaders, has three major championships on her resume, including the 2015 U.S. Women's Open.  Among players with multiple USWO titles, Meg Mallon had the longest gap between victories (1991 and 2004, 13 years apart), followed by Annika Sorenstam (1995, 1996 & 2006, 10 years apart).
• Over the last eight years, the eventual U.S. Women's Open champion was either leading or within 3 strokes of the second-round leader in all but one instance. In 2020, A Lim Kim was seven shots back at the end of two rounds. 
• In each of the last 35 U.S. Women's Opens the eventual champion was no more than 7 strokes behind the leader at the end of the second round.