Davidson continues to impress in major debut
Karis Davidson is the least experienced but the Queenslander is now the leading Aussie late in Round 2 of The Chevron Championship at The Club at Carlton Woods in Texas.
Making her major championship debut at the first of five women’s majors in 2023, Davidson followed up a two-under 70 on day one with an even-par 72 to sit in a tie for 26th when play was suspended at 8pm local time due to darkness.
All six Aussies completed their second rounds with Davidson, Stephanie Kyriacou (76) and Minjee Lee (75) looking safe to survive the one-over cut-line. Sarah Kemp (71), Grace Kim (73) and Hannah Green (74) won’t be required at the course on Saturday.
Tied for 19th at last week’s Lotte Championship in Hawaii, Davidson is beginning to reap the benefits of the work that she and coach Dom Azzopardi have put in over the past 12 months.
She hit 12 of 14 fairways in Round 2 at an average driving distance of 251 yards.
Finding 13 of 18 greens in regulation, Davidson was let down by the putter on Friday.
She required 31 putts in a second round made up of three birdies, three bogeys and 12 pars, a birdie on 16 hopefully a momentum builder for day three.
The momentum Kyriacou generated with a walk-off eagle on Thursday dissipated quickly in her round of four-over 76.
She countered a bogey on 11 with a birdie at 14 but less than 24 hours after her 18th hole heroics, made a double-bogey seven to turn in two-over.
A birdie on four was a step in the right direction but three straight bogeys from the fifth hole saw Kyriacou fall from a share of second to a tie for 48th.
Like Kyriacou, it was a late string of bogeys that sent Lee tumbling down the leaderboard.
Even par through 15 holes with four birdies and four bogeys, Lee dropped shots at each of her final three holes to fall to a share of 58th and riding the cut-line at one-over par.
With 31 players yet to complete their second rounds, Lee will have something of a nervous wait to see whether the cut remains at one-over at the completion of the second round.