Sydney star Steph Kyriacou is still right in the thick of the hunt to lift her first major title despite a storm bringing an early end to proceedings in the second round of the Evian Championship in France.
The impressive 23-year-old was lying in joint second place in the season's fourth women's major after playing 16 holes of her second round when play was suspended on Friday, with Ayaka Furue holding a three-shot lead at 12 under par.
The Japanese leader still had five holes to play too when organisers felt it necessary to evacuate players from the spectacular Evian Resort Golf Club, which lies between Lake Geneva and Alpine peaks, and proceedings were abandoned for the day when the storm intensified.
Haeran Ryu, of South Korea, was alongside Kyriacou at nine under overall, but she had only played 11 holes.
Kyriacou followed up her brilliant opening round, a five-under 66 which had featured an eagle two on the par-four 12th, with another birdie barrage.
She had started disappointingly with a bogey at the first on Friday, but then birdied the next three holes as well as the two par-fives on the seventh and ninth, to go out in a four-under 31.
The diminutive Kyriacou, whose previous best finish in one of the majors was her joint-seventh finish at the 2022 British Open, couldn't capitalise further on the inward stretch, parring the next seven holes.
American Angela Stanford, who won her first major title at this same Championship in 2018, was in a tie for fourth place with Thailand's Patty Tavatanakit, both at eight under.
Perth's Minjee Lee, another former Evian champion, back in 2021, shot a 69, and is lying in joint-30th place overall at three under, nine off the pace.
Her compatriots Grace Kim, who's played 11 holes in her second round, and Gabriela Ruffels, who went round in 72, are both on one under.
Defending champion Celine Boutier shot a second-round 68 and is at five under.
“I feel like my game has been very solid the last two days,” she said. “I definitely feel like my long game has been kind of carrying me, and I could have shot a few strokes lower yesterday and today so that’s pretty positive. Because I can improve.
"Just a few putts here and there and we’ll be in good position.”
World No.1 Nelly Korda was still potentially in danger of missing the cut in her third straight major, sitting at one under through 14 holes when the horn sounded to clear the course.
With agencies
