Furue holds clubhouse lead at Evian Championship as play is suspended due to storm

EVIAN, France — Japan’s Ayaka Furue held a three-shot clubhouse lead at the Evian Championship on Friday before the second round was suspended because of a risk of lightning and thunder.

Organizers decided to evacuate players from the golf course in the afternoon because of the adverse weather conditions in the region of Evian and decided to stop play for the rest of the day after 6 p.m. local time as the storm intensified.

With five holes left to play in her second round, Furue was 6 under after 31 holes, leading Stephanie Kyriacou of Australia and Haeran Ryu of South Korea. Both players were at 9 under overall and sat at 4 under par in their second round.

Kyriacou completed 16 holes in her second round, and Ryu was through 11.

Canadian Brooke Henderson fired a second-round 68, bringing her to 5 under and landing her in a tie for 15th overall.

American Angela Stanford, who won her first major title at the 2018 Evian Championship, was in a tie for fourth place with Patty Tavatanakit at 8 under.

Defending champion Celine Boutier shot a second-round 68 and lay at 5 under.

“I feel like my game has been very solid the last two days,” Boutier said. “I definitely feel like my long game has been kind of carrying me, and I feel like I could have shot a few strokes lower yesterday and today so that’s pretty positive. Because I can improve. Just a few putts here and there and we’ll be in good position.”

A total of 66 players will return on Saturday to complete their second rounds before the cut is made.

Japanese golfer Mamiko Furue holds the clubhouse lead at the Evian Championship as play was suspended on Friday due to a severe storm that hit the course in Evian-les-Bains, France. Furue, who shot a 6-under 65 in the second round, finished her round before the storm arrived and now sits atop the leaderboard at 9-under par.

Furue, a 22-year-old rookie on the LPGA Tour, has been in impressive form this week at the Evian Resort Golf Club. She carded seven birdies and just one bogey in her second round to take the lead heading into the weekend. Furue’s performance has been particularly impressive given the challenging conditions at the Evian Championship, which is known for its narrow fairways and tricky greens.

The storm that hit the course on Friday forced tournament officials to suspend play for the day, with several groups still on the course when the decision was made. The storm brought heavy rain and strong winds, making playing conditions unsafe for the players. Play is set to resume on Saturday morning, with the third round scheduled to be completed later in the day.

Furue will be looking to maintain her lead when play resumes on Saturday, but she will face stiff competition from a number of top players in the field. Defending champion Jin Young Ko is just one shot behind Furue at 8-under par, while world number one Nelly Korda is also in contention at 7-under par.

The Evian Championship is one of the most prestigious events on the LPGA Tour, with a strong field of players competing for a share of the $4.1 million purse. The tournament has a rich history dating back to 1994 and has been won by some of the biggest names in women’s golf, including Annika Sorenstam, Inbee Park, and Lydia Ko.

As play resumes at the Evian Championship, all eyes will be on Mamiko Furue as she looks to hold onto her lead and secure her first LPGA Tour victory. With challenging conditions and tough competition ahead, it promises to be an exciting weekend of golf at one of the most iconic venues in women’s golf.