Recari, Rru share lead in British Open

Beatriz Recari finished with three straight birdies for a five-under 67, matching the best score at Royal Birkdale to share the lead with So Yeon Ryu during another tough day of scoring at the Women’s British Open.

Ryu is the only player to break par in both rounds at Royal Birkdale, a tough links course even without thick grass and increasing wind. That looked in doubt when she took double bogey on her second hole, though the former US Women’s Open champion did not drop another shot the rest of the way. She had a 70.

“Links golf is always hard to predict,” Ryu said. “Even when I hit the great shots, still can finish at the worst place. And when I hit the bad shots, still can finish close to the pin. I just accepted it and then think about next holes, and it helped a lot.”

Michelle Wie was battling just to make the cut. Coming off her first major in the US Women’s Open at Pinehurst the number two 2 closed the front nine with three straight bogeys and was over the projected cut line.

Her week began with a sore wrist that she blamed on British men not helping her with four pieces of luggage in the airport. Even though her wrist was better, she remained upset over what happened in Edinburgh after a sponsor outing.

Wie’s airport problems

She recalled a ‘very adventurous trip where no man helped me in the airport and I had to carry four pieces of luggage just on my own. Englishmen are very … not gentlemen’. She calmed down enough to put together six birdies against only one bogey.

Her birdies included a 40-footer across the green at number nine and a chip-in behind the 12th green.

Ahn Sun-Ju also had six birdies in a round of 67 that left her one shot behind at two-under 142.

Jessica Korda had another up-and-down day, opening with a double bogey-bogey and making three birdies on her next five holes to erase the bad start. Korda made 11 straight pars the rest of the way for another 72 and was at 144, along with Inbee Park.

Laura Davies, the 50-year-old who was given a membership at Royal Birkdale this week, had a 72 and was at three-over 147.