Lottie Woad leads Evian Championship at 11-under; Aditi Ashok makes cut
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
England's Lottie Woad stormed to the top of the leaderboard at the 2026 Amundi Evian Championship on 11 July, carding a stunning 7-under-par 64 to reach 11-under-par at the halfway stage of the Evian Resort Golf Club in Evian Forest, France. The 22-year-old world number four, who began the day four strokes adrift of the overnight leader, produced one of the rounds of the tournament to seize outright control heading into the weekend.
Woad's Round-Two Masterclass
Woad opened her scoring with a birdie on the third hole, added further gains on the seventh and ninth, and absorbed her only blemish — a bogey on the par-4 10th — without losing composure. She responded with three consecutive birdies on holes 11, 12, and 13 to draw level at the summit, then added clinical birdies on the 15th and the par-5 18th to close out a commanding back nine. The two-time LET winner now holds a one-shot advantage over the field at the tournament's halfway mark.
Aditi Ashok's Historic Milestone
India's Aditi Ashok delivered a composed 1-under-par 70 to safely navigate the cut and reach the weekend rounds. The round was not without drama — she dropped back-to-back bogeys on her opening two holes — but Ashok steadied quickly, birdieing the seventh, 10th, 15th, and 16th before a dropped shot on the 17th trimmed her margin. She sits at 2-under-par for 36 holes, in a tie for 38th place.
Notably, this appearance marks Ashok's 38th career Major — the most by any male or female golfer from India. It is also the fifth time she has made the cut in nine starts at the Evian Championship. Her five LET victories, including the 2016 Hero Women's Indian Open, underline the experience that carried her through a testing second round.
Leaderboard at the Halfway Stage
Japan's Aki Iwai, the overnight pacesetter, slipped to solo second at 10-under-par after a costly double-bogey on the sixth hole checked her momentum, despite early birdies and a near-ace on the par-3 second. South Korea's Haeran Ryu — the reigning 2026 KPMG Women's PGA Championship winner — and Japan's Mao Saigo share third at 8-under after both carded rounds of 68. Ryu's card featured an eagle alongside three birdies and two bogeys.
A four-way tie for fifth at 6-under features England's Charley Hull, home favourite Nastasia Nadaud of France, Japan's Miyu Yamashita, and Thailand's Jeeno Thitikul. Thitikul matched Woad's round-of-the-day with a bogey-free 64 that included five birdies and an eagle. A large group of eight players — among them Sweden's Maja Stark, Anna Nordqvist, France's Perrine Delacour, and 2022 Evian champion Brooke Henderson — share 10th at 5-under.
The Cut and What's Next
The cut fell at even-par, with exactly 66 players advancing to the final two rounds. Among those celebrating a first Major cut were Sweden's Kajsa Arwefjäll and Canada's Anna Huang, both making their Major championship debuts. With the leaderboard tightly packed and Thitikul lurking just five shots back, moving day on Saturday is set to be fiercely contested.