When it comes to alternate shot, it certainly pays to get off to a good start. It gets the day into a certain kind of groove. And proves to each partner that the vibe for the round is strong.

Lauren Hartlage and Brooke Matthews had exactly that kind of start Saturday at the DOW Championship.

Making three birdies in their first five holes, the duo ended up with a 4-under 66. They're tied for fourth through 54 holes and will enter Sunday just two shots back of the lead held by Sarah Schmelzel and Albane Valenzuela.

After their blistering beginning, they added one final circle on the scorecard on the par-4 17th.

"We had a good start today, so I think that kind of helped free us up," Hartlage said. "We get along really well. If we ever hit a bad shot, we never feel any pressure from the other person. We just want to help each other out the whole time. So, it's just a lot of fun out there."

"It's always nice when you get off to a little bit of a hot start," added Matthews. "Birdied three out of our first five, made a couple good up-and-downs, and just kind of cruised in.

"It was a lot of stress-free pars. Lauren's lag putting was really good, so I had a lot of tap-ins today, which was nice."

The pair is tied with 36-hole leaders Jennifer Kupcho and Leona Maguire along with Ina Yoon and Sung Hyun Park – with Yoon saying it's been an honor to play with Park, the former world No. 1, who is her "role model."

Matthews and Hartlage, meanwhile, are long-time pals. They played together at this event as rookies in 2022, and Hartlage said they would "always" play together as long as they were both on the LPGA Tour at the same time.

The pair finished tied for 10th that year – it was both of their best results that year.

"We played well. That was like the only tournament we played well our rookie year. We like this tournament, and we've just been really good friends ever since," Hartlage said.

Matthews said the team, which is named 'Team Woo Pig Louie' (named after the mascot of the University of Arkansas), has been complimenting each other well this week with their play – both hitting lots of fairways and lots of greens. They missed only a combined three fairways in alternate shot and were "never that far out of it," which is key.

They are members of the same club in Florida during the winter, so they are quite familiar with playing together as well.

"Every week, we're playing practice rounds, so I think we're just comfortable," Matthews said.

This would be a great week for both Matthews and Hartlage to notch some valuable Race to CME Globe points. Hartlage sits at No. 139 in the standings, while Mathews is at No. 89. Neither has recorded a top-10 finish yet this season, with Hartlage's best being a tie for 29th at the ShopRite LPGA Classic presented by Acer and Mathews' tie for 11th at the same ShopRite LPGA Classic event.

Alas, the duo is doing their best not to think too far ahead about what could come Sunday night. There's still plenty of golf left to be played, and in the best-ball format, anything could happen.

But they're obviously eager to get off to a good start again for Sunday's finale.

"I think we're just going to have fun. It's fun to be in contention and playing with each other like we do almost every day when we're at home," Hartlage said. "We know each other's game. So, give ourselves good looks and see what happens."

Hartlage, Matthews Hoping Another Good Start Means a Great Finish

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