Royal Mayfair Golf Club has surrendered enough birdies that the first 18 players on the leaderboard have broken 70 in each of the first two rounds.
Miyu Yamashita still found a way to put five strokes between herself and everyone else.
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The 25-year-old from Japan followed an opening 62 with a 6-under 64 Friday, reaching 14 under and establishing a CPKC Women’s Open 36-hole scoring record of 126. It was the first 126 through two rounds on the LPGA Tour since Inbee Park reached the same number at the 2014 Fubon LPGA Taiwan Championship.
This was not separation created by one untouchable round or a lucky stretch. Yamashita made eight birdies Thursday, eight more Friday and only two bogeys across 36 holes.
The number that explains the gap best is 50, her total number of putts. She needed 25 in each round and has yet to three-putt.
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The rest of the statistical picture matters, too. Yamashita has hit 28 of 36 greens and 22 of 28 fairways. The putter has been exceptional, but it has been supported by the kind of control that gives a player repeated chances rather than forcing her to survive on difficult saves.
“Rather than focus on the score, I’m thinking about how I can make birdies,” Yamashita said.
That is the right thought for a player who has built a large lead at a tournament where standing still could be the quickest way to let everyone back in.
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Record Pace
How Miyu Yamashita Built a Five-Shot Lead
126
CPKC 36-hole scoring record
50
Putts through two rounds
16
Birdies against two bogeys
0
Three-putts in 36 holes
Yamashita has also hit 28 of 36 greens and 22 of 28 fairways, giving her putting performance a strong ball-striking foundation.
A Lead Too Large to Protect
Yamashita is hardly new to this position.
The world No. 7 has three LPGA Tour victories, including the 2025 AIG Women’s Open and this season’s Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give. The only other time she held or shared the 36-hole lead on the LPGA Tour, she converted it into her first major championship.
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Her record-setting start in Edmonton also represents an immediate response to a missed cut in her previous start at the AIG Women’s Open.
The challenge changes now.
Five strokes create freedom, but they can also alter the way a player sees the golf course. Targets become more conservative. Putts that were struck with confidence suddenly receive an extra read. The temptation is to begin protecting something that remains only halfway earned.
At Royal Mayfair, conservative targets may occasionally make sense. A conservative mindset does not.
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The depth of low scoring is evidence enough. The top 18 players have each posted two rounds in the 60s, the largest such group on the LPGA Tour since the top 22 did it at the 2021 Pelican Women’s Championship.
Yamashita has the cushion. She still needs to play the golf that created it.
Three Chasers Bring Three Different Stories
Soo Bin Joo, Yuri Yoshida and newly minted professional Kiara Romero share second at 9 under, but each arrived there from a vastly different place.
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Joo delivered the best round Friday, making seven birdies without a bogey for a career-low LPGA Tour score of 63. Her 27 greens in regulation through two rounds trail Yamashita by one and Romero by two.
Yoshida added a 66 to her opening 65. Her 131 total is the lowest 36-hole score of her LPGA Tour career and ended a streak of six consecutive missed cuts.
“I’m happy to play on this weekend,” Yoshida said after admitting she carried some nervousness into the tournament.
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Romero’s position may be the most compelling of the three.
The former top-ranked amateur earned LPGA Tour membership through the LPGA Elite Amateur Pathway earlier this month. She is now 9 under through two rounds of her first professional start.
Romero backed up Thursday’s 64 with a 67, hitting 29 of 36 greens and averaging 288.3 yards off the tee. Her brother is serving as her caddie, giving the occasion a familiar feel despite the stakes.
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“It really just keeps me grounded out there and keeps my mind off the stakes out here,” Romero said. “It’s a lot of fun.”
Ruoning Yin and Nasa Hataoka sit another stroke back at 8 under. Five players, including low Canadian Anna Huang, are tied at 7 under.
The math confronting all of them is unforgiving. If Yamashita shoots even-par 70 Saturday, one of the players at 9 under would need a 65 simply to tie her. If the leader shoots 68, the required number becomes 63.
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Waiting for her to come back is not a viable strategy. Someone must go get her.
Saturday Chase Board
Who Has the First Chance to Pressure Yamashita?
|
Pairing |
Position |
Saturday Time |
Deficit |
|
Miyu Yamashita / Soo Bin Joo |
1st / T2 |
3:05 p.m. |
Leader / 5 back |
|
Yuri Yoshida / Kiara Romero |
T2 / T2 |
2:55 p.m. |
Both 5 back |
|
Ruoning Yin / Nasa Hataoka |
T5 / T5 |
2:45 p.m. |
Both 6 back |
The chase equation: If Yamashita shoots 70, a player at 9 under needs 65 to tie. If Yamashita shoots 68, that number becomes 63.
Canada Has Built a Weekend of Its Own
Yamashita’s record pace has pushed the defending champion well down the leaderboard, but Brooke Henderson is not finished.
Henderson followed her opening 67 with a 68 and enters the weekend tied for 18th at 5 under. She is nine strokes behind Yamashita, which makes another victory a considerable long shot, but she remains within four strokes of second place.
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The larger Canadian story extends well beyond Henderson.
Seven Canadians made the cut, the country’s largest weekend contingent at this championship since 1996.
Huang leads that group at 7 under after rounds of 65 and 68. She has played only two holes over par through 36 holes and is tied for seventh.
Four amateurs also advanced to the weekend, the most at the tournament since 1973. Three of them are Canadian, the highest total since 1978.
Among them is 14-year-old Monday qualifier Kelly Zhang. After opening with a 72, Zhang shot a 4-under 66 Friday to reach 2 under and make the cut comfortably.
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“It feels so good,” Zhang said. “I am very happy to make the cut.”
A home winner may require a dramatic shift at the top, but Canadian golf will have several reasons to remain invested Saturday and Sunday.
Home-Country Watch
Canada Has More Than One Weekend Story
7
Canadians made the cut, the most at the championship since 1996.
T7
Anna Huang is the low Canadian at 7 under.
T18
Brooke Henderson begins the weekend at 5 under.
66
Kelly Zhang’s Friday score sent the 14-year-old Monday qualifier into the weekend.
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Three Canadian amateurs advanced, the tournament’s largest total since 1978. Four amateurs made the cut overall, the most since 1973.
The Chase Must Begin Immediately
Yamashita and Joo are listed in Saturday’s final pairing at 3:05 p.m. local time. Yoshida and Romero will begin 10 minutes earlier, with Yin and Hataoka going off at 2:45.
That sequence gives Yamashita a clear view of almost every serious threat.
It also leaves her challengers nowhere to hide. They cannot afford to play several holes waiting to see whether the leader will retreat. They need birdies early enough to make Yamashita notice the leaderboard she says she is not watching.
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Through two rounds, she has owned the pace, the putting surfaces and nearly every important number.
Her safest way to defend the five-shot lead may be to continue playing as if it does not exist. If Yamashita keeps attacking, the chase could run out of holes before she runs out of birdies.
PGA of America Golf Professional Brendon Elliott is an award-winning coach and golf writer who serves as Athlon Sports Senior Golf Writer. Read his recent “The Starter” on R.org, where he is their Lead Golf Writer. To stay updated on all of his latest work, sign up for his newsletter or visit his MuckRack Profile.
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Related: Canadian Teens Anna Huang, Michelle Xing Crash CPKC Women’s Open Leaderboard
Related: CPKC Women’s Open Brings History and High Stakes to Royal Mayfair
Related: Monday Mowdown: As GCSAA Nears 100, Golf Salutes Its Unsung Heroes
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Aug 22, 2026, where it first appeared in the Golf section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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