Women’s Irish Open: Casandra Alexander surges clear at the K Club

Women’s Irish Open – second round

-15 C Alexander (SA); -10 B Navarossa (US), S Kouskova (Cze); -9 L Rydqvist (Swe), C Viden (Swe); -8 L Pettersson (Swe); -7 A Foersterling (Ger); -5 P Urs (Ind), A Fanali (Ita); N Komulainen (Fin), C Screene (Ire).

Selected others: -4 L M Humphreys (Eng), A Hewson (Eng); -3 A Dawson (IoM), G Clews (Eng), H Darling (Sco), L Hall (Wal) -2 L Maguire (Ire), A Donegan (Ire); -1 A Foster (Ire), A Wilson (NI); +4 O Mehaffey (NI)

Full leaderboard

Two eagles propelled overnight leader Casandra Alexander to a second-round 66 as the South African seized control of the Women’s Irish Open at the K Club.

Following a bogey-free 63 on Thursday, Alexander eagled the par-five 10th – her opening hole – on Friday and followed that with back-to-back birdies.

Having dropped a shot on 13, the 27-year-old carded a birdie two on 17 before recording her second eagle of the round at the third.

After a bogey on six, a birdie on seven gave Alexander a 36-hole total of 129 to sit five shots clear of the Czech Republic’s Sara Kouskova (68) and American Brianna Navarrosa (65).

Canice Screene leads the home challenge as she lies in a four-way tie for eighth on five under after mixing seven birdies with two bogeys in a five-under 67, but Aine Donegan slipped back to two under with a disappointing 73.

After opening with a 71, Leona Maguire reached four under for the tournament but bogeyed two of her last three holes to fall back to two under at the halfway mark.