Ally Ewing holds the halfway lead at Walton Heath as she chases a maiden major title; Charley Hull in chasing pack after an impressive second round at the AIG Women’s Open; Watch on Saturday from midday on Sky Sports Golf
Charley Hull is hopeful of challenging for an ‘unbelievable’ AIG Women’s Open win after a brilliant second-round 68 at Walton Heath
Charley Hull has set her sights on challenging for an “unbelievable” home major success after moving up the leaderboard during the second round of the AIG Women’s Open.
The 27-year-old fired a bogey-free 68 at Walton Heath to move into the group on five under, with Hull following a front-nine 34 by holing long-range birdies at the 11th and 15th and taking advantage of the par-five 16th.
Hull’s strong second round keeps her within five strokes of halfway leader Ally Ewing – who set the clubhouse target with a second-round 66 – and raises the prospect for the first English female major champion since Georgia Hall’s win at the event in 2018.
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Charley Hull charged up the leaderboard with two long-range birdies during her second round at the AIG Women’s Open
The five-time Solheim Cup player has eight top-10 finishes in majors, including a runner-up finish at the US Women’s Open earlier this season, with Hull looking to use her past experience of contending over the final two rounds.
“Just embrace it and go out there and not try and feel too nervous,” Hull told Sky Sports. “I don’t really feel too nervous out there this so week, so will just go out there, have fun and try and make as many birdies as I can!
“It would be unbelievable to win out here, it really would. Especially to win in front of my mum, my dad and my nephew – that would be amazing.”
Ewart Shadoff chasing Solheim Cup push
Jodi Ewart Shadoff recovered an opening-hole bogey to play the rest her round bogey-free, with a three-under 69 lifting her inside the top-10 and within seven of the halfway lead.
This week’s event is the penultimate tournament in the qualification campaign for Team Europe’s Solheim Cup team, with Ewart Shadoff among a large contingent of players looking to make a late push to impress captain Suzann Pettersen.
Jodi Ewart Shadoff joins Sarah Stirk in the Sky Zone to discuss the atmosphere at the AIG Women’s Open and how the tournament is ‘amazing for women’s golf’.
“I’ve been a part of three Solheims and two winning teams and it’s always at the top of my goal list every Solheim year,” Ewart Shadoff said. “I definitely want to be part of the team and to experience that again.
“The standard of golf, especially on the European side right now with the younger players coming through, it’s very competitive. It keeps us vets on our toes I think.
“I’ve had some pretty good finishes over the past couple months at the majors specifically, and I think that’s a really good thing to have under my belt coming into Solheim picks. We’ll so what happened.”
Ewart Shadoff would likely need to rely on one of four captain’s picks – announced on Tuesday August 22 – if she’s to feature for Team Europe in Finca Cortesin next month, with the Englishwoman impressed with the strength of golf in the UK.
European Solheim Cup captain Suzann Pettersen gives an insight into the potential make-up of her team as she prepares to choose her four captain’s picks.
“Charley [Hull] and Georgia [Hall] are ranked in the top 20 in the world and they are incredible players,” Ewart Shadoff added. “Me and Gemma are the next two British players and we’ve both had wins in the last 12 months.
“I think the standard of British golf right now is probably the highest it’s ever been. It’s really just nice to see and there’s a couple of really good English and British players coming through the LET right now, younger players, so it keeps me on my toes.”
Ewing: First major win would be huge!
Ally Ewing went on a birdie charge on her front nine to extend her AIG Women’s Open lead
Ewing fired a second-round 66 to extend her overnight advantage and set a clubhouse target that couldn’t be matched, with five birdies in a six-hole stretch around the turn sparking her charge up the leaderboard.
“Today I went, ‘forget the past, forget the future, stay in the now’,” Ewing told Sky Sports. “That’s literally what I tried to tell myself even when my heart-rate started getting up. Major championship golf you can never get too far ahead thinking you have it.”
AIG Women’s Open leader Ally Ewing says she took the second round ‘one shot at a time’ leading to ‘a really solid day overall’.
Ewing’s previous best in a major previously was tied-sixth at the 2019 Chevron Championship, while she has two further top-10 finishes in that year’s US Women’s Open and again at the 2021 Chevron tournament.
“It [major victory] would be huge,” she added. “It’s something I’ve obviously circled as something I want to accomplish in my career. I’ve had possible chances to do that. I’ve been in the last group before. For me, I’ve got to lean on that a little bit as well as the confidence I’ve got in my game right now.”
Watch the AIG Women’s Open live on Sky Sports. Live coverage of the third round begins on Saturday at midday on Sky Sports Golf. Stream the AIG Women’s Open with NOW for £26 a month for 12 months.
