Through 36 holes at the Chevron Championship, some of the best players have answered the first test Carlton Woods has put out. A Lim Kim, who won the US Women’s Open in 2020 at nearby Champions Golf Club, set the pace at eight-under. This year’s Honda LPGA Thailand winner, Lilia Vu, sits a stroke back alongside eight-year tour veteran Megan Khang. Rolex Women’s World Ranking No. 2 Nelly Korda joins fellow major champions Patty Tavatanakit and Brooke Henderson two shots off the lead.

Nine other LPGA winners lurk within five of Kim, setting up a clash over the final 36 holes to become the first victor at the Chevron’s new home. However, multiple potential contenders heading into the week weren’t among the 68 players to make it to the weekend, with the cut coming at one-over.

Lexi Thompson (74-72, two-over)

Thompson’s impressive Chevron Championship run closes with the tournament’s new chapter at Carlton Woods. This week is her first missed cut at the championship in 14 starts. Since the 28-year-old’s victory in 2014, Thompson has posted seven top-10s in nine appearances, with an average finish of ninth. Two starts into 2023, Thompson has yet to play on the weekend.

Stacy Lewis (73-74, three-over)

Stacy Lewis. USWO

The matriarch of the Carlton Woods edition of the Chevron Championship, having grown up three miles from the course and sleeping in her parent’s home this week, can now focus on her role as the Team USA Solheim captain. Lewis, 38, quietly rounded into form going into the Chevron by posting her first top-10 since last July at the LPGA Drive On Championship in March. She tied for 23rd at the Lotte Championship last week.
Lewis got to one-under for the championship on her fourth hole of the second round. But she posted four bogeys and a double over the last 14 holes.

Lydia Ko (71-76, three-over)

Lydia Ko. ATS

The first opportunity Ko had to win her way into the LPGA’s Hall of Fame ended early. The No. 1 player in the world opened with a one-under 71 on Thursday, but in the weather-delayed second round, she shot a four-over 76 that included four bogeys and a double. It’s Ko’s first missed cut at a major since the 2019 AIG Women’s British Open. She had six top-10s in majors since, including three in 2022.
Missing the weekend marks the end of 40 straight made cuts for the $5 million Aramco Saudi Ladies Championship champ, dating back to exactly two years ago on April 22, 2021, at the Hugel-Air Premia LA Open.

So Yeon Ryu (73-75, four-over)

The two-time major champion and 2017 winner of this event was not in good form coming into the tournament, having missed the weekend in her opening two starts. But it’s shocking how Ryu, 32, missed the cut.
The South Korean sat right on the cut number at one over going into her 36th hole, the par-5 18th, which has played as the second-easiest hole this week. But Ryu made a triple-bogey 8 — the highest score at 18 for the week.

Jennifer Kupcho (72-78, six-over)

Jennifer Kupcho. Michael Reaves

The defending champion came undone on the back nine of her second round with a double bogey on No. 10 and a triple on No. 15. Entering the week, Kupcho had quietly trended upward. Her T-25 at the DIO Implant at the end of March followed finishes of T-34 and T-43. This is Kupcho’s first missed cut of the season.

Charley Hull (79-71, six-over)

Charley Hull. LET

The English star was T-126 with her seven-over first round — Hull’s first over-par card of the season. Then, following a nine-shot improvement with a second-round one-under 71, Hull aptly summarised her week with an Instagram post on Saturday morning. “Couldn’t find my swing in the first round, but bounced back to my normal rhythm in the second round,” Hull captioned. “That’s golf for you.”