Women's PGA Championship 2016: Friday Leaderboard Scores and Highlights

Sahalee Country Club conditions haven't been conducive to scoring through two rounds at the Women's PGA Championship, but a select few players reside in red numbers following solid showings Friday. 

Canadian Brooke Henderson, who was the outright leader following Round 1, finished the day at even par and now occupies a share of the lead at two under overall entering moving day.

Mirim Lee joined her in first place thanks to a two-under 69 on Friday. Gerina Piller, Lydia Ko and Brittany Lincicome are all one shot off the lead.

Here's a look at the top of the leaderboard with 36 holes in the bag. Complete standings can be viewed at LPGA.com:

Place	Golfer	Score
T1	Mirim Lee	-2
T1	Brooke Henderson	-2
T3	Gerina Piller	-1
T3	Brittany Lincicome	-1
T3	Lydia Ko	-1
T6	Su Oh	E
T6	Ai Miyazato	E
T6	So Yeon Ryu	E
T6	Tiffany Joh	E
T6	In-Kyung Kim	E

Lee hovered at even par on Thursday, but she found her groove Friday with four birdies—including three in a six-hole span on the front nine. Bogeys on Nos. 8 and 18 were the only blemishes on Lee's scorecard, and the well-rounded effort should stoke her confidence as the weekend approaches.

Piller was more erratic with four bogeys on the day. However, the American tallied six birdies to move into red numbers, finishing with a rock-solid two-under for the round. 

Her biggest birdie came on No. 18, where she poured in a long-range attempt, as the tournament's official Twitter account documented: 

Lincicome was similarly strong a day after shooting a 71. Although the American played her first 11 holes at two over, she rattled off three straight birdies on Nos. 13 through 15 and vaulted up the leaderboard. 

As for Ko, the world No. 1 climbed her way to within a single shot of the lead thanks to a strong performance with her putter. Ko played an even-par front nine, which included a near-ace on No. 9, but her back nine was a thing of beauty.

Unlike the front nine, which included two bogeys, Ko recorded eight pars and a birdie before heading into the clubhouse (and the weekend) with a head of steam.

In early action, a few key storylines emerged.

The first centered around three-time defending champion Inbee Park, who floundered to the tune of an eight-over 79 as she continued to combat "inflammation in the tendons and ligaments around her left thumb," according to the Associated Press (via ESPN.com). 

As a result of her shaky display, Park moved to nine over for the tournament and fell outside the cut line. 

On the flip side, Catriona Matthew played the strongest round of the morning.

Following a disappointing five-over showing Thursday, Matthew rebounded and shot four under during a round that included five birdies. Thanks to her explosive display, Matthew was able to move to one over and put herself on the fringe of contention entering moving day.

Finally, 26-year-old Michelle Wie continued to sputter a day after shooting seven over. The 89th-ranked player in the world figured to be in store for a steadier effort after getting acclimated to the tough conditions Thursday, but she spiraled out of control and shot nine over to finish her first 36 holes at 16 over. 

According to Golfweek's Beth Ann Nichols, Wie has already missed seven cuts this season. 

With the field trimmed following another trying day in the Pacific Northwest, the spotlight will be on Henderson, Lee, Ko and the rest of a crowded pack vying for major glory.

Post-Round Reaction

Park spoke about her struggles after the round, per Golf Channel's Randall Mell:

"

On the back nine, I just couldn't get a rhythm of the swing. I missed a lot of shots to the right, and it was just really frustrating and disappointing. I just couldn't get the right swing to work. 

I really thought that I could do it. I really thought that I can play really well this week. And I thought I was really ready, but I just wasn't. ... I think now having tried it three or four times with the injury and playing with the injury, I kind of have to rethink and maybe regroup. I might need some time to maybe really get better and be back with confidence.

"

Matthew, meanwhile, sounded pleased with her performance after a discouraging opening round put her in a precarious position.

"I actually played pretty well yesterday, but I had a bad hole at No. 17, and dumped two in the water," Matthew said, per LPGA.com. "But apart from that, I played well. Today, I played well again but hit the 17th green this time and gave myself a chance."

The same was true for Ko.

"If it wasn't for my putter, I definitely know that I wouldn't be in this position," the world No. 1 said, per Nichols.

"I just said hey you just gotta put a good stroke on it and trust your line," Ko added, per the LPGA's official Twitter account.