Rock Mallon maintains lead

Meg Mallon needed a birdie at 18 to keep her lead

Laura Davies and Kathryn Marshall maintained their challenge after two rounds in the US Women's Open at the Merit Club but were four shots behind leader Meg Mallon.

Overnight pacesetter Mallon started well but then had to rely on a birdie at the last to shoot a par round of 72 to cling to her one shot lead at the course in Libertyville near Chicago.

Marshall, who has struggled since playing in the Solheim Cup in 1996, was ecstatic to be in contention after a second successive 72, but Davies reckoned she had let a lot of chances slip away in a 71.

"I got a bit panicky when I three-putted the eighth for bogey and I felt it should have been a lot better," said Davies, the 1987 champion.

Betsy King is one shot adrift of Mallon

"I stuck in there but my putting is beginning to get me down.

"I'm hitting the ball as well as anyone and I must have a chance if I can start to hole a few."

For Marshall, a four-birdie round was welcome relief from a couple of season's of real hardship.

"It hasn't been good," she admitted. "But I've started working with a sports psychologist and I'm beginning to feel more comfortable on the course.

"I feel I'm beginning to get back to where I should be."

With strong winds making scoring far from easy, Marshall's only real blunder was a double-bogey six at the 15th, where she drove into the penal rough and then took three more to reach the green.

But she saved the best for last, getting home in two for a two-putt birdie at the long 18th.

Bunched leaderboard

Cheshire's Joanne Morley, winner of the German Open two weeks ago, also stayed in the hunt on a bunched leaderboard after a 72 for one over 145.

American Mallon, the 1991 winner, got to five under after 12 holes, but eventually had to birdie the long 18th to maintain her one shot overnight lead on four under 140 over compatriot Betsy King and Australia's world number one, Karrie Webb.

King, the 44-year-old Hall of Famer, had a 70, while Webb had a 72.

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Leading second-round scores from the US Women's Open in Libertville, near Chicago (USA unless stated):

140 M Mallon 68 72
141 K Webb (Aus) 69 72, B King 71 70
143 C Kerr 72 71
144 K Marshall (Gbr) 72 72, D Delasin 76 68, J Inkster 70 74, L Davies (Gbr)
73 71, R Jones 73 71, S Waugh (Aus) 69 75
145 S Cavalleri (Ita) 72 73, D Ammaccapane 72 73, B Daniel 72 73, P Hurst 73 72, J Morley (Gbr) 73 72, K Kuehne 71 74, L Kane (Can) 71 74
146 F Pike (Aus) 72 74, G Park 74 72, M H Kim (Kor) 74 72, W Doolan (Aus) 77 69
147 K Golden 75 72, J Stephenson (Aus) 73 74, K Robbins 74 73, J Lidback (Peru) 73 74

Others:
148 C Koch (Swe) 75 73, A Sorenstam (Swe) 73 75
149 C Sorenstam (Swe) 75 74
150 J Moodie (Gbr) 73 77, S Gustafson (Swe) 72 78

Missed cut:

151 M McKay (Gbr) 80 71, D Barnard (Gbr) 78 73
152 E Esterl (Ger) 75 77
154 E Dahloff (Swe) 80 74
155 A Nicholas (Gbr) 74 81, M Hjorth (Swe) 77 78
156 L Neumann (Swe) 80 76
157 H Dobson (Gbr) 76 81
158 N Moult (Gbr) 78 80
161 H Alfredsson (Swe) 78 83