Nelly Korda rides new putter to Old Course lead, with plenty of stars in pursuit at 2024 Women's British Open

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland — When it comes to marquee groups, it’s hard to imagine any delivering more on their promise than the dynamite trio of Nelly Korda, Lilia Vu and Charley Hull at the AIG Women’s British Open.

World No. 1 Korda paces the field at 8 under after back-to-back 68s over the Old Course, one shot ahead of her playing competitors in the 7:55 a.m. tee time. Vu, the No. 2 player in the world, sits in position to win her second title of the season while Hull, the top-ranked British player, gave up a bit of ground after taking a one-shot lead following the opening round. Vu will be the first defending champion to make the cut at the AIG since Georgia Hall in 2019.

There’s no doubt this all-star group got the better end of the draw, playing late on Thursday and early on Friday. There were 17 groups who finished under par in Round 1 and only four were from the morning wave.

Olympic gold medalist Lydia Ko and 2022 AIG winner Ashleigh Buhai are among a group at 3 under, five shots back.

Here’s how this group of fan favorites fared on Friday: