What a difference a day makes, especially when that day involves finding the fairway.

Lottie Woad surged up the leaderboard Friday at the Kroger Queen City Championship presented by P&G, carding a 6-under-par 64 to offset the even-par 70 on Thursday.

The Englishwoman tallied seven birdies and one bogey during her second day around the course, a stark contrast to a first round that featured three birdies canceled out by three bogeys. The primary catalyst for the improvement was Woad's precision off the tee.

"It was less wind, so it was a lot more scorable," Woad said. "Definitely hit it better off the tee. I think I only hit like three fairways yesterday, but there are a few that you can't actually hold, so it's not as bad as it sounds. Today I hit more fairways and just hit really good approaches."

The statistics told the full story. Woad found 10 of 14 fairways and struck 15 of 18 greens in regulation. Her efficiency on the greens followed suit, needing only 28 putts to complete the round, three fewer than her Thursday total.

Woad emphasized that at Maketewah Country Club, staying out of the thick rough is the key to scoring opportunities. As the course firmed up, the penalty for a wayward drive became less forgiving, making it harder to score.

"I think so. The rough is thick in spots and it's firmed up a little bit, so you can't really attack pins if you're in the rough," the one-time LPGA Tour winner explained. "Like yesterday, I was having to play to the middle of the green a lot because I couldn't go at the pin, but today I could go more at the pin."

Despite improved accuracy on Friday, Woad noted that the course layout continued to present unique challenges, where even a quality drive isn't guaranteed to land in the fairway. She pointed to the par-4 fourth hole, a dogleg left, and the 13th hole as particularly challenging holes.

"13 you can't hold. That's not a wedge. That's a lot longer in," she said. "The other one is hole four, you can't really hold either."

Woad's only blemish on Friday came via a three-putt, which she described as "annoying," but her ability to avoid further mistakes was anchored in her consistency. As she moves into the weekend, her strategy remains rooted in high-volume ball striking.

"I think just hitting a lot of greens," Woad said regarding her key to minimizing mistakes. "I think I hit maybe 15 greens today."

Lottie Woad Finds Rhythm, Fires 6-Under at Kroger Queen City Championship presented by P&G

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