After 36 holes, four remain at the top of the Circling Raven Championship leaderboard. However, the four names up top changed. Jessica Welch, Robyn Choi, Jillian Hollis, and Hyo Joon Jang will make up the final groups for Sunday.
Welch, who has only made three cuts in 12 starts this season, celebrated the low round of the day with a big fist pump after a birdie on No. 18. Her 7-under 65 consisted of two eagles and five birdies.
“This is where you want to be,” said Welch. “You want to be in the hunt. This season has been a bit of a struggle for me, I had to go back to first stage last week, but I played four days of good golf and got myself into a good mindset, so that’s what I want to take with me into tomorrow. Regardless of the outcome, I want to walk off content with myself.”
Choi made the turn bogey-free and carded seven birdies on the day. She closed out her round with three consecutive birdies followed by two pars.
“It feels good,” said Choi. “With these conditions, I didn’t expect to shoot very low. Being able to shoot that score, I’m proud of myself. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day, I’ll play better golf and hopefully bring in a trophy.”
Hollis, who played in the morning when the wind was most consistent, shot 6-under and carded seven birdies. Like Choi, she went bogey-free on the front nine. While most players weren’t expecting the constant, aggressive wind and don’t enjoy playing in it, Hollis saw it as a positive addition to her game.
“I love playing in the wind, honestly,” said Hollis. “It’s good for my game. I have a pretty creative game, so it’s fun hitting draws and fades into or against the wind. It keeps me focused almost.”
Rounding out the leaders was Jang, who snuck into the top spot on her back nine. She was 4-under thru the last five holes and carded one additional birdie and a lone eagle on the front. She credits the wind for some push to make eagle, and like Hollis, was trying to use it to her advantage.
“I was trying to be more friendly with the wind,” said Jang. “Accept it and go through it. That helped me.”
Grace Kim and Gabriela Ruffels round out the top five at 9-under. They sit one stroke behind the leaders after signing for 4-under and 3-under respectively.
A total of 67 players made the cut at 1-under, including first round leaders Ana Paula Valdes, Alisa Rodriguez, Pavarisa Yoktuan and Polly Mack.
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