GREEN COMFORTABLE IN CONTENTION

Aussie native Hannah Green is playing in her first season on the Epson Tour, and has made an immediate impact by winning the Sara Bay Classic and collecting five additional top-25 finishes.

Her second-round score of 68 at Sweetgrass Golf Club marks her ninth round in the 60s this season, which is tied with Yu Liu for the most on Tour. Green was bogey-free through 16 holes before she stumbled on No. 7, but she bounced right back with a birdie to finish her day 4-under par.

“I actually missed a few fairways today,” Green said, “but overall I was really happy with how my approach shots were. Also, my putts because I didn’t really leave myself very easy putts. Overall, it was a really solid day.”

Heading into the Island Resort Championship, Green is No. 5 in the Volvik Race to the Card, but she’s not getting complacent. “Even though I’m in the top 10 it’s still very easy to slip out,” she said. “I’ve got Paul on the bag, who caddied for me last week and the week I won so we’ve had some good results. It’s really nice having him here this week, and I had my coach here this week earlier so it’s nice to be in contention and that things are going the right way.”

Green’s Saturday group was one of just ten groups that finished play in the morning wave before rain delayed play for two hours and 15 minutes. “We got really lucky with the draw,” Green said as the rain started to fall not even five minutes after her round. “The last four weeks I’ve had late-early tee times, and I kind of wanted to sleep in today, but with the weather I’m glad it worked out this way.”

ROHANNA HAS ROUND OF DAY

As the rain started to come down again on Saturday afternoon, Epson Tour veteran Rachel Rohanna lined up a 20-foot putt for birdie on 18, read the right-to-left break, and sunk it in finishing her day with a fist pump and a wave to the umbrella-wielding crowd.

Rohanna had eight birdies during the rain-sodden second round of the Island Resort Championship, to finish her day at 5-under par tying her season-best round of 67.

During the rain delay, some players prefer to relax, chat with friends, maybe stretch, but Rachel had a different game plan. “I ate a lot,” she said. “I had some leftover pizza, breadsticks, some Nutella toast. Gotta keep that energy up.” Whatever she ate, it certainly worked for her as she returned with a par on Hole 15 before going birdie-birdie-birdie to end her round.

“The last four finishing holes I think are four of the hardest on the course,” Rohanna said. “So, to get through the island green (15) and then the remaining three at 3-under par I was very happy with it.”

Rohanna is coming off her best finish of the season, fourth place at the Self Regional Healthcare Foundation Women's Health Classic, and while not all players got to finish round two, she is in a comfortable spot heading into the final round five strokes off leader Emma Talley (who is through 9 holes of Round 2).

“I think I’m in a great position to move up tomorrow,” Rohanna said. “We’ll see how the rest of the field does. But I feel really good with my game, and I’m looking for a good score tomorrow.”

OF NOTE:

This season, six of the ten events have been won by first year players: Daniela Darquea, Hannah Green, Chorphaka Jaengkit, Nanna Koerstz Madsen and Celine Boutier.
The lowest winning Island Resort Championship score is 10-under (2015), but the winning score has been as high as 1-under (2014).
The Island Resort Championship is the second of four Potawatomi Cup events. The Potawatomi Cup, which is in its fourth year, provides a $40,000 pot of bonus money available to the players based on performance in the four events sponsored by Potawatomi nation tribes. There is $8,500 up for grabs at each tournament.
The winner of the Island Resort Championship has gone onto earn a Tour card (through the Volvik Race for the Card money list or Qualifying Tournament) three of the last four years: Sherman Santiwiwatthanaphong (2016), Dani Holmqvist (2015) and Kim Kaufman (2013).
The Island Resort Championship field includes three players from the state of Michigan: Lindsey McPherson (Flushing), Christine Meier (Rochester Hills) and Elizabeth Nagel (DeWitt) along with three players from Wisconsin: Brooke Ferrell (Edgerton), Allyssa Ferrell (Edgerton) and Jenna Peters (Kohler).

Green Comfortable in Contention and More from Round Two of Island Resort Championship

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