Late birdies help Aditi make cut in LPGA

Two late birdies on the 15th and 16th helped Aditi Ashok make the cut and get a chance to turn her fortunes around at the LPGA Mediheal Championship.

She added one-over 73 to her first round 74 to get to three-over 147 and make the weekend rounds on the line at the tough Lake Merced.

It has been a rough season for Aditi, who has not missed five cuts in seven previous starts on the LPGA and her best has been T-30 last week at the Hugel-Air Premia LA Open.

Aditi was three-over for the day and five-over for the tournament with four holes left and she was staring at another weekend with golf. But she pulled out two birdies on Par-15th and 16th to get to 3-over and make the cut, which gives her a chance to improve over the weekend.

So Yeon Ryu shot a 2-under 70 on Friday afternoon to take a one-stroke lead over follow South Korean player Sei Young Kim and American Ryann O'Toole.

Tied for the first-round lead with Eun-Hee Ji and Anne van Dam after a 67, Ryu chipped in for birdie from the fringe on the par-3 12th, but gave back the stroke with a bogey on the par-4 16th after advancing a chip from deep rough only to the fringe.

Ryu has six LPGA Tour victories, winning major titles in the 2011 U.S. Women's Open and 2017 ANA Inspiration.