Jenny Shin leads the Women’s Scottish Open by 5 strokes after two rounds

TROON, Scotland — The second round of the co-sanctioned Ladies European Tour and LPGA Tour Women’s Scottish Open held at Dundonald Links delivered a dramatic shift in the leaderboard on Friday, with South Korean golfer Jenny Shin expanding her position to a commanding five-stroke advantage over the rest of the field.
Shin entered Friday’s play tied for the top spot at six under par, but her round got off to a rocky start with an opening bogey. Rather than letting the early mistake derail her performance, the South Korean star rallied quickly, carding six birdies over the course of the round — including a standout birdie on her final hole — to finish the day with a five-under 67. That performance pushed her overall tournament total to 11 under par, giving her a substantial gap over her closest competitor.
Friday’s play saw a dramatic fall from co-leader Lauren Coughlin, the American golfer who already notched two tournament wins this season: a victory at the Aramco Championship in April and a title at the 2024 Scottish Open. Coughlin struggled through her second round, finishing two over par for the day, which dropped her down the leaderboard to a tie for fourth place at four under par alongside Japan’s Erika Hara.
The closest contender to Shin’s lead is German golfer Esther Henseleit, who turned in a stellar round on Friday. Henseleit carded a four-under 68, boosted by two birdies and an eagle that lifted her into second place on the overall leaderboard.
South Korea’s A Lim Kim held onto her position in third place, even after a steady even-par round that included two birdies and two bogeys, leaving her at five under par overall.
One of the most surprising outcomes of the day involved world No. 1 Nelly Korda, who struggled significantly throughout her round. Korda closed out her day with four consecutive bogeys, finishing with a 76 that put her at four over par for the tournament — two strokes above the projected cut line, putting her status for the weekend in serious jeopardy.