At the halfway mark of the PIF Saudi Ladies International, England’s Mimi Rhodes is showing exactly why she was last year’s LET Rookie of the Year. With a composed three-under 69 at Riyadh Golf Club, Rhodes moved to 11-under for the tournament and holds a slim one-shot lead heading into the weekend.
Rhodes’ round was a model of balance and poise. Starting on the back nine, she opened with birdies at the 10th and 13th before giving one back with her first bogey of the week at the 16th. But she bounced right back on her second nine, picking up birdies at the 1st and 2nd to reclaim momentum and edge ahead of a tightly packed leaderboard.
“I wasn’t putting too much pressure on myself this week,” Rhodes said after her round. “It’s a big event, and I just wanted to make the cut and play solid.
I’ve done more than that, so I’m proud of how I’ve handled things so far. Now it’s just about staying in the zone and taking it one shot at a time.”
Right behind her are South Africa’s Casandra Alexander and Japan’s Chizzy Iwai, both sitting at 10-under. Alexander carded her second straight 67 to stay firmly in the hunt, while Iwai matched Rhodes with a 69 of her own to remain in striking distance.
Alexander, whose game has looked increasingly sharp this week, felt like there was even more out there for her. “On the back nine, things started to go my way a little,” she said.
“I still left a few out there-putts just short-but overall, I’m happy with how I played. Hopefully I can grab a few more tomorrow.”
Solheim Cup veteran Carlota Ciganda also remains in the mix after a second-round 68, putting her just two shots off the lead. Ciganda, who made headlines with a hole-in-one during her opening round, continues to ride that momentum and is very much a threat heading into the weekend.
The leaderboard is stacked, with 17 players within four shots of the lead. That includes a quartet of Korean contenders-Ina Yoon, Hyejun Park, Jiwon Ko, and Hye-Jin Choi-alongside Japan’s Nasa Hataoka and Akie Iwai, Belgium’s Manon De Roey, and Singapore’s Shannon Tan. All of them sit just three back at eight-under, and with scoring conditions favorable, this tournament is wide open.
Charley Hull, another Solheim Cup star and one of the most recognizable names in the field, surged up the leaderboard with a second-round 67. Hull caught fire early, pouring in five birdies over a seven-hole stretch from the second. She dropped a shot at the 10th but quickly made up for it with a birdie on the par-five 12th to finish the day at seven-under-just four off the pace.
Fellow Englishwoman Esme Hamilton matched Hull’s 67 to join her at seven-under, rounding out a strong day for Team England.
With the leaderboard this tight and so many proven names lurking, the weekend at Riyadh Golf Club is shaping up to be a thriller. Rhodes may be out front for now, but with players like Ciganda, Hull, and Alexander lurking-and a host of international talent stacked just behind-this one’s far from over.