Menlo Park, March 21 (NationPress) Aditi Ashok achieved an impressive second round of 6-under 66, propelling her into a tie for third place alongside the world’s top-ranked player, Jeeno Thitikul from Thailand. Both athletes recorded rounds of 6-under 66 after starting with even par scores, joining Karis Davidson, Nelly Korda, Hye-Jin Choi, Minjee Lee, and Jin Hee Im at T-3.

Hyo Joo Kim solidified her position at the top by scoring a 2-under 70 in the second round, placing her four strokes ahead of her nearest competitor, Gaby Lopez from Mexico. Kim now stands at 11-under par, while Lopez followed up her first-day score of 5-under 67 with a 2-under 70, putting her in second place at 7-under heading into the weekend.

Ashok’s second round commenced on the front nine, where she made four consecutive birdies starting from the third hole. A fifth birdie on the eighth brought her to 5-under par before the turn.

On the back nine, Ashok recorded a birdie on the 11th, followed by her only bogey of the day on the 13th. A late birdie on the 18th enabled her to finish at T-3 with a total score of 6-under par.

Hyo Joo Kim began her second round on the back nine, encountering two bogeys against one birdie before the turn. She then played a flawless front nine, which featured three additional birdies, extending her lead to four strokes by the end of her round.

Aaron Rai struggled with a second round of 5-over 77, resulting in a missed cut at the Valspar Championship, despite an encouraging first round that had placed him within the top 10. Rai concluded with a total score of 3-over par (68-77).

Sahith Theegala also failed to make the cut. After a challenging first round, he found himself with too much ground to cover on the second day, finishing with an even par 72 for the week at 6-over par (77-72).

Sungjae Im continues to lead after the second round, being the sole player in the top four with a PGA Tour victory. Im scored 2-under 70 in the second round, maintaining a one-stroke lead over David Lipsky. His total score now stands at 9-under par (64-69).

Aaron Rai commenced his second round on the back nine with a birdie but faced three bogeys and a double bogey by the turn, resulting in a five-stroke drop in the first nine holes. In the front nine, he started again with a birdie but added another four bogeys and one more birdie, concluding the day at 6-over par, leading to an early exit from the tournament.

The other contenders in the top four include David Lipsky in second at 8-under, while Doug Ghim and Tour rookie Chandler Blanchet are tied for third at 7-under par.

The defending champion, Viktor Hovland, faced disappointment again as he missed the cut for the second consecutive year at the Valspar, marking his first missed cut on tour since the Players Championship in 2025.