Chandni Canan BauerThe CPKC Women’s Open 2026 round two leader is Miyu Yamashita, and she has not merely reached the top of the board; she has put a sizeable piece of daylight beneath her name.
The Rolex Rankings No. 7 reached 14 under through 36 holes, setting a tournament scoring record of 126 and opening a five-shot lead over Soo Bin Joo, Yuri Yoshida and Kiara Romero. Two days in, the first-time entrant has turned the weekend into a chase.
Yamashita’s record pace leaves little room for error
Yamashita’s 126 is the lowest 36-hole total in CPKC Women’s Open history and the lowest on the LPGA Tour since Inbee Park posted the same number at the 2014 Fubon LPGA Taiwan Championship. It is also seven shots better than Yamashita’s previous career-low 36-hole score.
The supporting numbers are just as unfriendly to the field. She has made 16 birdies, more than anyone else, and needed only 50 putts through two rounds, the fewest in the tournament. Prolific and economical is an irritating combination if your name is anywhere below hers.
This is only the second time Yamashita has held or shared a 36-hole lead on the LPGA Tour. The first ended with victory at the 2025 AIG Women’s Open. That is not a guarantee, merely the sort of precedent competitors would probably prefer not to be reminded of.
Her 2026 season already includes a win at the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give, with 15 cuts made in 17 starts and seven additional top-10 finishes. She missed the cut in her previous start at the AIG Women’s Open after making 10 in a row. Golf does enjoy filing its jokes under “timing”.
“Rather than focus on the score, I’m thinking about how I can make birdies. So I will try to keep a good rhythm in the final rounds.”
Joo goes low while Yoshida resurfaces
If Yamashita supplied the separation, Soo Bin Joo supplied the low number. Her seven-under 63 was the best round of the day and the lowest 18-hole score of her LPGA career. She made seven birdies, no bogeys, and was one of eight players to keep a clean card.
Yuri Yoshida joined Joo at nine under after a second consecutive round in the 60s. Her six birdies and two bogeys produced a 131 total, four shots better than her previous LPGA low through 36 holes. More pointedly, it ended a run of six straight missed cuts. One week can be a long time in professional golf; six missed weekends can feel considerably longer.
Romero’s debut refuses to behave like one
Kiara Romero is also nine under, which would be notable enough without the small matter of this being her first professional start.
Her 131 total follows an opening 64, the lowest first round in an LPGA Tour debut since Jaravee Boonchant at the 2023 Honda LPGA Thailand. Romero, who earned her LPGA Tour card through LEAP last week, also ranks inside the top 10 in birdies made, fewest bogeys and greens in regulation.
Her brother is on the bag, and Romero’s explanation of the arrangement was revealingly uncomplicated.
“Yeah, I feel like regardless of how I’m playing out there, you know, we’ll be out there laughing and having fun and just kind of talking about everything but golf. It really just keeps me grounded out there and keeps my mind off the stakes out here. It’s a lot of fun.”
Canadians and amateurs give the cut some character
The cut fell at even par, reducing the field to 69, but there was more local interest left standing than usual. Seven Canadians made the weekend, the most since 1996.
Anna Huang leads that group at seven under in a tie for seventh. She has made only two over-par holes all tournament. Defending champion Brooke Henderson is also through, as is three-time champion Lydia Ko, who won the last time the event was held at Royal Mayfair Golf Club.
There is a younger subplot too. Four amateurs made the cut, the most since 1973, while three Canadian amateurs advanced for the first time since 1978. Among them is 14-year-old Monday qualifier Kelly Zhang.
The scoring depth has been severe rather than decorative. The top 18 players have all posted two rounds in the 60s, the largest such group since the 2021 Pelican Women’s Championship, where the top 22 managed it.
The weekend question is now about pursuit
A five-shot halfway lead is substantial. It is not ceremonial.
Yamashita has the tournament record, the fewest putts, the most birdies and previous experience of turning a 36-hole LPGA lead into a major title. Behind her are a player fresh from a career-low 63, another finally clear of a six-event missed-cut run, and a new professional behaving as though introductions are an administrative nuisance.
That gives the weekend a clean shape. Yamashita does not need to look backwards if she keeps making birdies. Everyone else has very little choice but to look up.
The record belongs to Yamashita already; the trophy, inconveniently, still requires another two rounds.
