England’s Georgia Hall is just four strokes off the lead while Nelly Korda moved inside the cut after two rounds of the Chevron Championship.
Hall followed her opening 69 with a 72 to sit four strokes off the lead, but Charley Hull dropped to four-over par, one behind Scotland’s Gemma Dryburgh.
The cut is projected to come at two-over with nine players still to finish their second rounds after thick fog delayed the start of play.
World No 1 Nelly Korda, the defending champion, moved inside the cut line with a 68 – nine strokes better than her opening round after changing her putter.
Yan Liu struck an albatross to offset three front-nine bogeys and rebounded from a late bogey for an even-par 72 and a one-stroke lead at the first women’s major tournament of the year.
Liu holed her second shot on the par five eighth. She said: “I take my seven-iron and I see the ball (went) in, so that’s a really cool thing. But I think (the TV crew doesn’t) have video for that hole.
“I think I jump twice on the fairway. Just very happy and so excited. Players in (my) group said congrats to me, so that’s very nice.”
Her only birdie of the day at the last gave her the lead on seven-under-par after four bogeys in a round of 72.
Yan Liu recorded a rare albatross in The Woodlands, Texas
She leads by one stroke from Americans Sarah Schmelzel and Lindy Duncan, who carded a best round of the day 66, Japan’s Mao Saigo and Hyo Joo Kim of South Korea.
The 27-year-old Liu, who has yet to win an LPGA event, admitted she will feel some pressure entering the weekend as the leader.
“I think definitely I will feel a little bit, because this – well, this is major,” she said. “I know the course going to be harder, harder, so I think just I just stay… patient, calm. Because I’m very emotional person, yes.”
Watch The Chevron Championship throughout the week live on Sky Sports. Live coverage continues on Saturday from 8pm on Sky Sports Main Event. Get Sky Sports or stream with NOW.
