Australian Epson Tour graduate Cassie Porter is tied at the top of the leaderboard alongside six-time LPGA Tour winner Nasa Hataoka through 36 holes at the Blue Bay LPGA.

The 2025 LPGA Tour rookie got off to a solid start on Thursday at the Jian Lake Blue Bay Course, posting a 3-under 69 with two bogeys and five birdies on her scorecard, and then backed that up by bettering her first-round effort by one shot on Friday in the People’s Republic of China.

Porter began her second round on the par-4 10th hole and picked up her first birdie of the day on 13, grabbing another birdie on the par-4 17th hole to move to 5-under for the tournament. The 22-year-old made her third birdie of the round on the par-4 2nd hole and birdied the fifth hole to climb to 7-under overall.

She stumbled with a bogey on the par-4 6th hole but recovered immediately with a birdie on No. 7, ultimately parring in to post a 4-under 68 and share her first-ever lead/co-lead on the LPGA Tour with Hataoka.

“I'm super happy,” Porter said. “I've had a big week already. Not feeling too great. Under the weather a little bit. So it's really nice to post a good score into the weekend.”

Porter is one of 15 athletes who secured LPGA Tour membership via the 2024 Race for the Card last season on the Epson Tour. She first joined the Official Qualifying Tour of the LPGA in 2023 and collected six career top-10 finishes during her time on the circuit, one of which was a victory that came at the 2024 FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship last June.

She had never competed on the LPGA Tour before this year and has already drastically improved upon the missed cut she recorded in her LPGA debut at the Founders Cup presented by U.S. Virgin Islands in February. And Porter now has an opportunity to become the second consecutive Epson Tour alum to make the Blue Bay LPGA their first victory on the LPGA Tour alongside 2024 champion Bailey Tardy, whom Porter spent some time with before play began this week in China.

“I actually played half a practice round with (Bailey) on Tuesday, so that was really great,” Porter said on Friday. “Obviously, she knows the place really well, and she's a lovely human being, so it was really nice playing with her being a defending champion. Got a few tips.

“It's always the goal to win, or just to be in contention, but absolutely. She's paved an amazing pathway, and being a rookie, that would be pretty special if I come away with a win.”

Saturday will see the rookie have her first experience playing in a final group on the LPGA Tour, something that can be nerve-wracking for even the most seasoned of accomplished veterans on the biggest tour in the women’s game. Porter is fully expecting to feel a bit of nervous energy on the first tee tomorrow but is working hard to embrace it, knowing that it’s a privilege to be in this position this early in her career and have the opportunity to contend for a victory alongside some of the best in the game.

So Porter is just planning to take the upcoming third round in stride, content in the fact that no matter what ultimately happens over the next 36 holes, she can chalk up this week at the Blue Bay LPGA as a success, whatever the final result may be having put herself at the top of the leaderboard in only her second start ever on the LPGA Tour.

“I think I'll definitely be a little nervous. I think that's totally okay. It means it means something to me,” Porter said. “Obviously (will) be my first time in contention on the LPGA Tour in my second event. I'm excited. My goal for the weekend is just to have fun, enjoy it. I'm planning to have a long career on the LPGA, hopefully, so just go out and enjoy it, and have fun and hopefully come out.”

Epson Tour Winner Cassie Porter Tied at the Top After Day Two of Blue Bay LPGA

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