JERSEY CITY, N.J. — Playing golf in the rain is a well-coordinated ballet of sorts, one that requires plenty of jacket dons, grip wipes and glove changes throughout the course of an 18-hole round.

For some athletes, that water-logged dance can be a distraction and throw their carefully curated routines incredibly out of sync, but LPGA Tour winner Andrea Lee didn’t let the Friday morning elements get to her on day two of the Mizuho Americas Open, carding a blemish-free, 4-under 68 in chilly, rainy conditions at Liberty National Golf Club.

“I feel like I have to get into a bit of a routine, especially in tough weather conditions,” Lee said. “Having Bob (Arft), my caddie out there, find a little bit of rhythm with wiping grips, making sure the gloves are dry, do I need a new glove, it was a grind for sure. I'm honestly pretty tired after that round. Really happy with the way we stuck it out.”

Lee opened her week in Jersey City, N.J. with a first-round 68 after making two bogeys and six birdies, two of which came back-to-back on the par-4 3rd and par-3 4th holes. The 26-year-old then got off to a fast start in round two, picking up a quick birdie on the par-5 10th hole to move to 5-under for the tournament, but as the rains drenching the field began to strengthen, Lee hung tough with pars on her next seven holes before grabbing her second birdie of the round on 18.

Her closing nine looked similar, as Lee made six straight pars on the first nine holes at Liberty National Golf Club, and when the weather system that was hanging out over the Mizuho Americas Open finally weakened, Lee capitalized, making two late birdies on the seventh and ninth holes to finish off her 68 and tie what was then the lead with Jeeno Thitikul at 8-under overall.

“I was mentally preparing for the worst today,” Lee said. “The radar didn't look great for the rain, and it was dumping on us pretty hard for probably about 12, 13 holes, honestly. I knew that I had to stay really patient out there, know that fairways and greens and pars were a good score, and stay really positive. So, I hung in there, and (I’m) really satisfied with the way I played.”

Lee will likely find herself in one of the final few groups once third-round play begins on Moving Day, and she will be carrying a lot of confidence into the weekend at Liberty National Golf Club after grinding out a bogey-free score in challenging conditions on Friday. She hasn’t won on the LPGA Tour since becoming a Rolex First-Time Winner at the Portland Classic in 2022, and in her seven starts ahead of the Mizuho Americas Open this week, Lee has only managed to earn one top-10 result in 2025, doing so last week at the inaugural Black Desert Championship presented by Greater Zion.

This is her third time teeing it up in this tournament, and after tying for 21st in 2023 and tying for 14th in 2024, Lee is more than ready to either find the LPGA Tour winner’s circle for the second time in her career or finish in the top 10 for the first time in Jersey City, N.J. And with 36 holes still to play, a crowded leaderboard and a saturated golf course to contend with, Lee knows how difficult the challenge that awaits her over the next two rounds could turn out to be.

But having emerged from her Friday morning round relatively unscathed, Lee is ready to take advantage of some milder weather on Saturday and Sunday as she works to take home the Mizuho Americas Open title just across the Hudson Bay from New York City.

“I think my game is trending in the right direction for sure,” Lee said. “This is my fourth week in a row playing, and I feel like every week I've definitely improved. Last week, I had my first top 10 this year, so (I’m) definitely seeing a lot of positive things in my game and am really happy about that. Trying to gain some momentum coming into this week, and I feel like I put myself in contention for the weekend, so I'm pretty happy about that.

“The weather looks really nice for the weekend, so looking forward to that, not dealing with any rain. But I think the game plan stays the same. This is a tough golf course with or without rainy conditions, so staying really patient out there and trying to maximize as much as possible. Trying to be aggressive but also patient at the same time.”

Andrea Lee Survives Elements to Post a 68 on Friday at the Mizuho Americas Open

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