Ally Ewing races to 5-shot lead through 2 rounds at Women's British Open

There's a golfer hailing from America's South and with a passion for hunting who is running away with the British Open thanks to precise driving and a red-hot putter.

Sound familiar?

Ally Ewing is putting up a good impression of Brian Harman as she goes for a first major title this week at Walton Heath.

The No. 39-ranked Ewing rolled in six birdies in her first 11 holes and shot 6-under 66 Friday to establish a five-stroke lead after the second round of the Women's British Open, the final major of the year.

Ewing is delivering a golfing clinic southwest of London three weeks after Harman did the same four hours north of England at Royal Liverpool in the men's event to win his first major championship.

The similarities don't end there.

Ewing is from Mississippi, and Harman is from Georgia.

And then there's the hunting — the favoured pursuit of Harman and something which proved to be a fascination for the British media, who labelled him "Brian the Butcher."

Yes, Ewing confirmed, she also likes to hunt.

"For the most part, my family, my husband and I, we do mostly deer hunting, so venison," she said. "That's most of what we do."

The field will look to hunt down Ewing over the weekend, but it will need her to slow up.

4 straight birdies

At one stage Friday, she held a seven-shot lead and she felt like she was in a trance when making four straight birdies from No. 6.

"I didn't really even know until I signed my scorecard that I had four birdies in a row," Ewing said, "so I would probably say that stretch from like No. 6 to No. 11 is kind of a little bit of a blur."

The biggest names in women's golf can't keep up.

Brooke Henderson, of Smith Falls, Ont., will miss the cut after she shot 72 to sit at 3 over through two rounds. Fellow Canadian Maddie Szeryk, of London, Ont., also won't play the weekend.

Top-ranked Nelly Korda shot 70 and was 1 under for the tournament — nine off the lead — like Rose Zhang, the 20-year-old American sensation in her first year of pro golf who also shot 71 in her second round.

Celine Boutier, the Frenchwoman who arrived as the hottest player in the game after back-to-back titles including the Evian Championship, also shot 71 and was two shots further back at 1 over for the tournament. That was one shot above the cut.

Former top-ranked player Lydia Ko, currently ranked No. 5, made five bogeys in the opening 10 holes of her 74 and will miss the cut.

Hull, England's biggest hope of a home winner, had a bogey-free 68 to join Minami Katsu (69) of South Korea and Andrea Lee (68) of the United States in second place.

"I'm happy how I hit it off the tee and holed some long putts," said Hull, who finished tied for second at the Women's U.S. Open last month, "and I'm buzzing for the next few rounds.

"Seeing my nephew in the crowd, it's really good. They are good crowds. There will be some big ones over the weekend."

Alison Lee (69), Hyo Joo Kim (70), Lilia Vu (68) and Gaby Lopez (70) are a stroke further back, while second-ranked Jin Young Ko (68) was part of a large group one more shot adrift at 3 under.