Golf: Steven Alker leads major championship; Dame Lydia Ko, Ryan Fox climb leaderboards

Steven Alker leads through two rounds of the Kaulig Companies Championship. Photo / AFP

Steven Alker has made a strong start in his bid for a 10th win on the PGA Tour Champions.

The Kiwi sits in a three-way tie at the top of the leaderboard of the tour’s third major championship of the year, the Kaulig Companies Championship, in Ohio.

Alker backed up an opening-round 68 with a second-round 67, carding five birdies and two bogeys, to sit at five-under-par at the halfway point of the tournament.

He sits tied alongside Ricardo Gonzalez of Argentina and Tim Petrovic of the United States.

The 53-year-old has been a consistent contender on the PGA Tour Champions in recent years, finishing atop the money lists in two of the last three seasons and second in the other.

Through 10 tournaments so far this season, Alker has had eight top-10 results, including a win and a runner-up finish. His win came at the Cologuard Classic in March.

Dame Lydia Ko improves at Women’s PGA Championship

In the hunt for a win that would give her a career LPGA grand slam, Dame Lydia Ko overcame a slow start to climb 22 places on the leaderboard after two rounds in Texas.

The PGA Championship is one of two majors Ko is yet to take out, along with the US Open, and a win in either would give her the career grand slam. Although the LPGA Tour now includes five majors, the organisation made the decision that a grand slam would constitute four wins so as to not make the accomplishment harder to achieve or alter the discussion around it.

Instead, players who win five majors are acknowledged as completing a super career grand slam.

After a one-over-par 73 in her second round, Ko jumped into a tie for 36th at four-over after two rounds but sits eight shots off the leader, Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand.

It has been a tough tournament, with only six players under par through 36 holes and the cut line being at seven-over.

Ryan Fox holds steady

In a tournament where there was a strong possibility of low scores, the Travelers Championship features a wide spread in the field in Connecticut.

At the top sit Justin Thomas, Scottie Scheffler and Tommy Fleetwood at nine-under-par. At the bottom, Nick Dunlap is 11-over, with Sam Stevens (eight-over), Tony Finau and Rickie Fowler (seven-over) a few shots back.

In the middle of the pack sits Kiwi Ryan Fox who, after finishing his second round with a one-over 71, sits at even par heading into the weekend.

One of the signature events on the PGA Tour, the Travelers features a limited field with no cut line, so those who earn the right to tee off are guaranteed to play on into the weekend.

For Fox, it’s a ninth tournament in a 10-week stretch, and has been an eventful one on the scorecard. This morning, the Kiwi posted four bogeys, but limited the damage with a birdie and an eagle.

Fox heads into the weekend in a seven-way tie for 35th.

Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.