England’s Lily Hirst posted a six-under-par total of 136 to lead stroke-play qualifying at the 123rd Women’s Amateur Championship at Muirfield in Gullane, Scotland. Her second-round 66 put her one shot clear of Farah O’Keefe, Rianne Malixi and Meja Ortengren, all tied at five-under 137, as the championship moved into its 64-player match-play phase on Wednesday.

The cut line landed at four over par, and a play-off was required to decide the last places from a 144-player field. Defending champion Paula Martín Sampedro advanced after rounds of 67 and 71, finishing at 138, while Wales’ Gracie Mayo, who had led after the opening round, also came in one shot behind the tied-second group.

Hirst’s Second Round

Hirst’s 66 featured six birdies against a single bogey. The key moment came at the 8th hole, where a bunker shot to three feet saved par and kept her round on track. She arrived at Muirfield fresh from representing Great Britain & Ireland at the Curtis Cup at Bel-Air Country Club, and said that experience had carried over.

“Being leading qualifier, the confidence going into the match play stages is so much higher. I know that I’m playing well, hitting it good and holing so many putts.”

She added that she planned to turn professional at the end of the year, calling the Women’s Amateur “one that everyone wants to get their hands on.”

Strong Chasing Pack

The leaderboard showed the depth of this week’s field, with five of the top ten and 11 of the top 20 on the World Amateur Golf Ranking in the mix. O’Keefe, the world number three from the University of Texas, matched Hirst’s 66 in the second round. She went out in 33, made consecutive bogeys at 15 and 16, then holed an eagle putt from off the green on the par-5 17th. At the recent Curtis Cup she was only the fourth player in history to win all five of her matches.

Malixi, 19, won the US Women’s Amateur two years ago and was focused on what comes next. “The first two days, it’s about qualifying,” she said. “The real game starts tomorrow with match play.”

Sweden’s Ortengren followed a first-round 68 with a 69, handling tougher wind conditions on the back nine.

First Women’s Amateur at Muirfield

The championship is being staged at Muirfield for the first time. Founded in 1893 and first played at Royal Lytham & St Annes, the Women’s Amateur is one of the game’s most prestigious amateur titles, and the 2026 edition carries an expanded prize for the winner: exemptions into the AIG Women’s Open, US Women’s Open, Amundi Evian Championship, Chevron Championship, Augusta National Women’s Amateur, and, new this year, The Standard Portland Classic.

Each match-play round is played over 18 holes, with the final over 36. Hirst enters as the top seed.