Casandra Alexander Leads Women's Irish Open by Five Strokes After Second Round

Casandra Alexander of South Africa extended her lead at the Women’s Irish Open on Friday with a flawless round of 66 at The K Club, following up her opening 63 with another bogey-free performance to move to 13 under par over two days.

Alexander, 27, began the second round with an eagle on the par-five tenth hole and added five more birdies across her front nine, including another eagle on the par-four third. Despite a bogey on the sixth, she carded a final-round birdie on the 17th to finish on six under for the day, building a five-stroke advantage heading into the weekend.

Her 36-hole total of 129 left her five shots clear of Brianna Navarrosa of the United States and Czech Republic’s Sara Kouskova, who both posted rounds of 65 and 68 respectively to sit tied on 10 under par. Sweden’s Linn Rydqvist and Caroline Viden were a further shot behind at nine under, while England’s Laura Davies and India’s Pajany Urs remained within a shot of the clubhouse lead.

Canice Screene of Ireland kept the home challenge alive, carding a five-under 67 to sit tied for eighth on five under. Her round included seven birdies and two bogeys, lifting her from 11th to a share of eighth place. However, fellow Irish golfer Aine Donegan slipped back to two under after a disappointing 73. Leona Maguire, who had opened with a 71, finished the day at two under after bogeying two of her last three holes.

The cut was applied after the second round, with 35 players progressing to the weekend, including 10 from Ireland. Notable names missing the cut included Scotland’s Hannah Darling and Northern Ireland’s Olivia Mehaffey, who finished four over par.

Alexander, who had turned professional only in 2022, has surged to the top of the leaderboard with a display of accuracy and aggression. With a five-shot cushion, she will be under pressure to maintain her form on Saturday as the field looks to close the gap in the final two rounds of the tournament.