Korda stages comeback as four Aussies advance at US Open

Alison Lee and Ruoning Yin are tied for the lead at the 81st US Women's Open, both sitting at 4-under-par 138 after the second round at Riviera Country Club. Lee, playing in her home area of Los Angeles, carded a 68, while Yin also posted a 69 to maintain her position atop a tightly packed leaderboard.

World No. 1 Nelly Korda surged into contention with the day's lowest score, a 67, bringing her within two shots of the lead. She is among a group of players at 2-under-par 140. Overnight leader Jennifer Kupcho, Sei Young Kim, and Mexico's Gaby Lopez are part of a six-way tie for third place, one shot behind the leaders at 3-under-par 139.

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I love it. I always say that the more difficult [the course], the better.

The venerable Riviera course, hosting its first US Women's Open, proved challenging, with only eight players breaking 70 on Friday. China's Yin, who shot two sub-70 rounds, described the course as "passive aggressive" but embraced the difficulty, stating, "I always say that the more difficult [the course], the better."

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To win in basically my backyard, where I grew up, would be super cool. I don't want to get ahead of myself … but if you'd told me I would be in this spot at the beginning of the week, I probably would have started crying.

Lee, a new mother, extended her strong season with back-to-back birdies before the turn. "To win in basically my backyard, where I grew up, would be super cool," Lee said. "I don't want to get ahead of myself … but if you'd told me I would be in this spot at the beginning of the week, I probably would have started crying." The 31-year-old has yet to win on the LPGA Tour despite a decorated junior career and two Solheim Cup appearances.

All six Australian players in the field survived the cut, which fell at 5-over-par. Grace Kim's 72 was the best among them, followed by Karis Davidson (73), Hannah Green (73), and Minjee Lee (76).

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I'm not going to lie, it's been very tough. I've gone through a few stages, a few slumps, if you want to call it, in my career, even since I was like 15 years old. … no matter what I did, no matter how much I practised, it just wasn't going my way.