Pavarisa Yoktuan holds the second-round lead at -8 after 36 holes in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The Thai recorded two birdies and one eagle to sign for a 3-under 69. Despite a rain delay in the first round and strong winds in the second, Yoktuan held strong to separate herself from the competitors.
“Yesterday I didn’t expect that I’d play that good with the windy conditions,” said Yoktuan. “Not only yesterday, but today too. For both rounds, I didn’t think about making the cut, the score, or anything. I just played my game and had to be focused on the wind – that’s the most important part.”
Yoktuan went bogey-free with two birdies on the front nine of Travis Pointe Country Club, despite feeling like the wind settled a little more on the back. Her second nine was where she recovered from two bogeys with a birdie on No. 18 and an eagle on No. 14.
Staying in the present has had a big impact on Yoktuan’s game, especially this season.
“Earlier this year, I could hit the ball pretty good, but I couldn’t make the putt,” said Yoktuan. “Now I kind of let it go and relax a little. I stay in the moment.”
The Thai says she kept her mind off her game by thinking about another she watched recently.
“I think about Steph Curry who won last night,” said Yoktuan, referring to the NBA star of the Golden State Warriors. “It was so impressive.”
She was inspired by Curry and hopes to follow his lead and secure a wire-to-wire victory tomorrow.
Two strokes behind Yoktuan, in second, is Kiira Riihijarvi. The windy conditions tested the Fin with five bogeys, which she answered with eight birdies. She’s trying not to think about her spot on the leaderboard heading into the final round.
“I’m trying not to think about it too much,” said Riihijarvi. “I’m just trying to enjoy it and keep doing what I’m doing.”
In third place, at 5 under, is Grace Kim. She recorded five birdies and signed for a 1-under 71. The 2022 champion sees her name at the top of the leaderboard as a positive push for tomorrow’s final round.
“It’s definitely a big momentum moving forward, being able to have your name in contention with all the players in Epson,” said Kim. “It’s really nice to be able to have yourself compete with the top end of the field.”
Linnea Strom, Moeka Nishihata and Karen Chung round out the top 5, tied for fourth at -4. Like many of her fellow competitors, Strom struggled with the windy conditions.
“Warming up, I was a bit nervous about the wind because it was really gusting,” said Strom. “Some holes there were some really big trees, so you can’t really feel it where you’re standing in the fairway, but you know it’s up there. I think the wind was for sure the tricky part about this course.”
Strom, Nishihata and Chung respectively shot 3 under with four birdies, 1 under with five birdies and even par with three birdies. A total of 70 players made the cut at +4.
QUICK QUOTES
Ashley Lau (-2, T8) on playing against her assistant coach, AJ Newell:
“Throughout this season, I’ve learned a lot from her, and she has shared a lot of her experience on tour with me. To be in the same field with my assistant coach, who is an experienced tour player, is a moment I’ll never forget.”
Kim Kaufman (-3, 7th) on jump from T53 on Thursday to 7th on Friday:
“It feels great to come off the course and see my name towards the top of the board. I think this is a demanding course and the wind was really blowing so it was nice to prove to myself that I can still shoot a low round. I will remind myself to be patient tomorrow and wait for my birdie chances to come.”
Polly Mack (E, T16) on making the cut in her professional debut:
“Going into this tournament my main goal was to take everything in that is happening around me and enjoy every single moment of it. Making the cut in my first pro event makes me really happy, and I’m looking forward to the last round, and I hope that I might even be able to climb up the board a bit.”
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