CAREER DAY PROPELS EMREY TO TOP OF LEADERBOARD
A career-low performance of 8-under par 64 from Allison Emrey (Charlotte, North Carolina) on day two of the inaugural SKYiGOLF Championship propelled the Wake Forest University alumna up the leaderboard and into sole possession of first place.
The bogey-free afternoon has Emrey at 9-under par overall heading into the weekend, two strokes ahead of second.
“It was one of those days where putting, chipping and my swing was all going well,” said Emrey. “I tried to hang back and play my game. It was really fun. I had a couple tap-in birdies, so that obviously helps and then I rolled in some long putts.”
On International Women’s Day, Emrey credited her record round to swing coach Leslie Elmore.
“I’ve been seeing her for 20 years, basically my whole life,” Emrey said. “She’s the one who helped me get into the game and I would go to her junior clinics when I was younger. I still see her to this day.”
ATTENTION TO DETAIL, NEW TECHNIQUES HAS LAUREN KIM IN PRIME POSITION
Starting on the front nine today, Lauren Kim (Los Altos, California) followed a birdie on No. 5 with back-to-back bogeys and eventually made the turn at 1-over par on the afternoon. The window to turn her play around on Charlotte Harbor National Golf Club at Bobcat Trail was shrinking, but there was time.
“I felt myself getting out of my head and routine, so remembering it’s a four-day event and the first of the season to not get too far ahead of myself and trusting the process I put myself through all offseason was key,” Kim said. “I’ve been working on attitude with my coach Jorge Parada and really my whole team, how to keep going and bounce back from bad holes or rounds."
That is exactly what Kim used to right the ship and record a bogey-free, 3-under par coming in. The Stanford University alumna is now 7-under overall after 36 holes and the other half of the final pairing for tomorrow’s third round.
GRANADA LEAPS UP LEADERBOARD WITH LOW ROUND TWO
Not too far behind Emrey’s record-setting showing was Julieta Granada (Asuncion, Paraguay), who fired a 7-under par 65 to jump into a tie for third after 36 holes at the inaugural SKYiGOLF Championship.
Entering the day, Granada was tied for 49th and was able to cover plenty of ground thanks to an eagle on the par-4 14th, as well as six birdies. She discussed how several starts on the NWGA Eggland’s Best Ladies Professional Golf Tour before the season helped her get focused.
“Days like this are fun,” Granada said laughingly. “I’m in a tournament rhythm and it was a good day. I made some putts, hit some really good shots and just enjoyed it. Some silly mistakes yesterday, but today was sharper overall. I managed my misses very well, got up and down every time so that helps.”
NOTABLE QUOTES
Alexa Pano (-6, T3) on if she feels any pressure as the only amateur and now making the cut:
“Not really, especially since I played in a Epson and LPGA Tour event last year. It’s relaxed and there’s nothing to lose for me, just golf. Hopefully the results come from that too. I’ve played aggressively all week and just missed small opportunities that could have made a good day better.”
Jessy Tang (-6, T3) on how she rebounded after two bogeys in her first four holes:
“It was early in the round and I knew there was plenty of holes left, lot of golf to play. I had some bad luck on the numbers that put me short-sided, or behind the pin in a place that you shouldn’t be, and I was able to get up and down. On the back nine I made three birdies in a row which was nice.”
Megan Thothong (+5, MC) on recording the first hole-in-one of the 2019 Epson Tour season:
“I saw it land and then everyone yelled, ‘Oh my gosh, it went in!’ At 132 yards, I was kind of in-between clubs and didn’t want to force an 8-iron so hit a three-quarter 7-iron. It was early and the sun was right in our faces, so I actually lost it until it hit the ground. That was the fourth for me in competition.”
PLAYER NOTES
Allison Emrey
- Emrey, 25, is a native of Charlotte, North Carolina
- Winner of the 2009 North South Junior Championship and 2015 Colorado State Women’s Open
- Named a Women’s Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) Honorable Mention All-American as a senior at Wake Forest University in 2015
- Finished T45 at the Final Stage of the 2017 LPGA Qualifying Tournament to earn Priority List Category 17 membership for the 2018 LPGA Tour season
- Made 10 starts on the LPGA Tour as a rookie in 2018
- Entering 2019, total of 49 starts on the Epson Tour since rookie year in 2016 with a career-best solo fifth finish at the 2017 IOA Golf Classic
Lauren Kim
- Kim, 24, is a native of Los Altos, California
- Led Stanford University to the program’s first NCAA Division I Women’s Golf National Championship title in 2015
- Named the 2016 Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year in the sport of women’s golf as a senior
- Three-time Women’s Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) First Team All-American for the Cardinal and two-time All-Pac 12 First Team selection
- Finished T29 at the Final Stage of the 2016 LPGA Qualifying Tournament to earn Priority List Category 17 status for the 2017 LPGA Tour season
- Rookie on both the Epson Tour and LPGA Tour in 2017 where she made 20 and two starts, respectively
- Finished T45 at the Final Stage of the 2017 LPGA Qualifying Tournament to earn Priority List Category 17 status for the 2018 LPGA Tour season
- Competed in 14 LPGA Tour events during the 2018 season with a best result of T17 at the Shoprite LPGA Classic presented by Acer
- Made the cut in all seven Epson Tour starts last year and become a first-time winner at the Florida’s Natural Charity Classic
- Finished T23 at the inaugural LPGA Q-Series to earn Priority List Category 14 status for the 2019 LPGA Tour season
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