Who's in the Hunt
(-10) is the leading score through 36 holes at the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational, with three teams getting there in different fashion. The Pink Team of Paula Creamer and Morgan Pressel backed up the second-best round of foursomes Wednesday with six under in fourball. Team Boucher composed of Celine Boutier and Karine Icher along with Team M&M made up of Stephanie Meadow and Giulia Molinaro carding 62 and 61 in fourball respectively to charge up the leaderboard from (-2) and (-1).
Six teams sit one shot behind the leadng trio of teams at (-9). Tiffany Chan and Peiyun Chien, Kim Kaufman and Kris Tamulis, Pagaree Anannarukarn and Pannarat Thanapolboonyaras, Mirim Lee and Amy Yang, Cydney Clanton and Jasmine Suwannapura, along with Alena Sharp and Brooke Henderson all are a shot behind heading back into foursomes on Friday.
30 teams are within five shots of the lead.
*All Times Local
Groupings to Watch
Paula Creamer, Morgan Pressel (-10)/Kim Kaufman, Kris Tamulis (-9), 1:48 P.M., 1st Tee
Paula Creamer and Morgan Pressel are in a critical position in an effort to return to the US Solheim Cup team. They are in 33rd and 27th in US Solheim Cup Points, and while still in control of their destiny to make their way up the leaderboard with two majors coming up, would benefit greatly from a victory to catch captain Juli Inkster’s attention for a captain’s pick. Creamer touched on that after play, noting that “Of course, like Morgan said, we would be lying if we weren't thinking about that. But we're a team, we're kind of a little package deal with that. When we're together, we always play really solid. That's why we've always had a very good record with that.” They played together in 2007, 2011, and 2015 at the Solheim Cup, posting a 2-2-1 record as a pairing. There are no Solheim Cup points awarded for finishes this week.
Team Kim form a team that’s putting on a bounceback performance. Tamulis is looking for her first top result since the Kia Classic in 2018, and Kaufman is looking for her first one since the ISPS Handa Vic Women’s Open this season. They both came into this event on a cold streak, but the close friends playing together has brought out the best in their games.
Brooke Henderson/Alena Sharp (-9), Simin Feng/Ruixin Liu (-8), 1:12 P.M., 1st Tee
Henderson and Sharp looking for their 10th and first career victories, respectively, heading into the final two rounds. They shot the lowest round of the foursomes’ format in the first round but couldn’t keep up with the leaders with a four under 66 Thursday. It was the highest round by two shots of the nine teams at nine under or better, which gives the 'Eh' Team room for improvement on the final round Saturday.
It’s been a difficult season for the 2018 Epson Tour Player of the Year, as Ruixin Liu has had a tough rookie season on the LPGA Tour. She had to withdraw from the Pure Silk Championship after birdieing four of the opening five holes. Last week, she finally broke through to a strong result, posting T11 at the Marathon Classic. A strong finish will likely buy her another start, as she’s just off the field list for the Aberdeen Scottish Open.
Simin Feng has only had four starts on the LPGA Tour this season, making her first cut of the season at the Marathon Classic. The 2015 LPGA Rookie is looking for her first top 10 finish since the Reignwood LPGA Classic.
The Cut
The cut line fell to (-4) after starting the day at (+1). Notables to miss the cut include Austin Ernst & Bronte Law (-3), Maria Fassi & Jennifer Kupcho (-1), Stacy Lewis & Gerina Piller (-1), and Nasa Hataoka & Suzuka Yamaguchi (+3).
Numbers to Know
1,114- The number of birdies recorded through 36 holes of play.
60- The tournament record, set today by Celine Herbin and Joanna Klatten in four ball.
39- The number of teams that made the cut.
4.35- The scoring average on the par 4 16th, the hardest hole to par on the course
TV Times
The final two rounds of the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational will air on the Golf Channel on Friday July 19th at 8:00-10:00 P.M. ET. Saturday, July 20th, play will air from 6:00-8:00 P.M. ET.
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