Leona Maguire three off the lead at PGA Championship

World number one Nelly Korda crashed out after carding a second round 81.

Leona Maguire hands her putter to her caddie after finishing the 18th hole during the second round of the Women's PGA Championship. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Ireland's Leona Maguire carded a 71 to sit in a group three strokes off the lead after the second round in the Women's PGA Championship at Sahalee Country Club. 

The Cavan golfer held the 54-hole lead when the championship was held at Baltusrol last year. 

"I think the biggest takeaway was knowing that I don't have to play perfect golf to be able to contend," Maguire said about the 2023 tournament. .

"I haven't by no means played perfect golf this week. Nobody will.

"So I think that's going to be a big key this weekend, just trying to play as well as I possibly can and just, yeah, be patient and be kinder to myself. I wasn't very kind to myself on Sunday at Baltusrol last year."

Sarah Schmelzel and Amy Yang grabbed the halfway lead as world number one Nelly Korda collapsed to a second round 81.

Korda, who opened with an 80 in the US Open two weeks ago after six wins in her previous seven starts, missed the cut after starting the tournament tied for second.

She opened her second round with four straight bogeys and had to wait until the 18th for her only birdie of the day to miss the cut by a stroke at the Sahalee Country Club in Washington state.

"No words for how I'm playing right now," said Korda. "I'm just going to go home and try to reset.

"A lot went my way at the beginning part of the year, and just giving it back."

American Schmelzel carded six birdies in a five-under-par 67 to top the leaderboard alongside South Korea's Yang, who had a bogey-free 68.

Schmelzel, without a win in six years on the LPGA Tour, said: "I kind of caught a glimpse of leaderboard on 17 and saw I was right around the lead.

"It was just nice to be able to finish that well, too, knowing I was around the lead in a major.

Overnight leader Lexi Thompson recovered from an early double bogey, making three birdies coming home in a 72 which leaves her two strokes back alongside Korea's Jin Young Ko and Hinako Shibuno from Japan.