US Women’s Open: New mum Lee and Yin share lead

Alison Lee and Ruoning Yin lead the US Women’s Open by a stroke on four-under-par at the midway point of the year’s second major.

Los Angeles native Lee, who missed all five majors in 2025 because she was on maternity leave, posted a three-under 68 at Riviera Country Club.

She is playing on the USGA’s deferred maternity leave exemption, a policy which gives a player who has earned a place in a USGA championship the option to defer her place.

China’s Yin carded a second successive 69 in a bogey-free round.

First-round leader Jennifer Kupcho and Japan’s Hinako Shibuno, winner of the 2019 British Open, are among a group of six players in joint-third on three-under.

World number one Nelly Korda is one of four golfers at two-under, having shot up the leaderboard with a 67, the lowest round of the day.

Lee, whose 13-month-old son Levi watched at the course with her partner, has finished in the top 10 twice in 44 major appearances.

“I feel like I just did a really good job at grinding these last couple of days,” the 31-year-old said.

“The front nine [in the first round] – I mean, if you told me in the front nine I would be leading going into Saturday I would have thought you were crazy because I missed a bunch of fairways and I missed a bunch of greens.

“It’s so exciting. My first couple years on tour, [there was] probably a lot of pressure. I mean, my rookie year was 2015.

“Now to be able to play in front of friends and family is really special.”

Yin, whose sole major win came in 2023 at the PGA Championship, said: “I had a lot of stress today.

“It’s US Open, it’s meant to be tough. You can’t really have a stress-free moment on the course until it’s all done.

“I think the stress and the pressure, it’s also a privilege.”

After underperforming on the first day, American Korda held her nerve to shorten the gap on the leaders.

“I just tried to have a really easygoing attitude today,” said Korda, who won the Chevron Championship in April.

“I was definitely going to leave it all out there and grind as much as I could, but I was not going to emphasize my mistakes too much and just kind of play relaxed golf.

“That’s when I play my best golf.”

England’s Bronte Law, Mimi Rhodes and teenager Nellie Ong were among those to miss the cut alongside Swede Madelene Sagstrom, competing while seven months pregnant.

Weeks after winning her second LPGA title in Cincinnati, England’s rising star Lottie Woad sneaked through to the weekend after a birdie at the 16th moved her above the cut mark – one stroke behind compatriot Charley Hull.