The second round of the Garden City Charity Classic at Buffalo Dunes was another day of red numbers, with players needing to go low to get within the cut at -2. But, even with the low scores, the lead grew due to a record-setting 36-holes by Gabriela Ruffels (64), who has separated herself from the field by a wide margin.
Ruffels followed up a stellar first round that included a new Buffalo Dunes Golf Course course record with the co-best score of the day in round two. The former University of Southern California Trojan carded a second-round 64, including an eagle, seven birdies, and one bogey. Ruffels now sits at 126 (-18) after two days of play, breaking the 36-hole Epson Tour scoring record set by Sue Ginter-Brooker at the 2002 Hewlett Packard Garden State FUTURES Summer Classic.
"You know you're doing something right when you're setting a record of any kind," said Ruffels. "It's awesome; I am super happy, but there is still one more day to go tomorrow."
The 23-year-old has made birdies on 17 of her last 36 holes, a 47% birdie rate. Ruffels has a win earlier in 2023 at the Carlisle Arizona Women's Golf Classic and will carry a six-shot lead heading into the final round. However, even with a significant lead, her gameplan remains the same.
"It is the same mindset," explained Ruffels. "Playing aggressive is how I play best. I just need to keep capitalizing on my opportunities and keep it same-same."
Selena Costabile (64) was able to match Ruffels on the day, but the Canadian went bogey free in her second round. The back nine for Costabile was when she found her game and started to see putts fall. The closing 30 (-6) vaulted Costabile into the final pairing and may be the only player in the field able to make a push for the lead in the final round.
“I was definitely nervous on the last hole,” said Costabile. “I really wanted to make it 9-under, but I’m pretty happy with how the day went. I feel like I played pretty steady, tried not to make many mistakes, and it paid off."
Ana Belac (68) currently is in a tie for third at -9 but has put together one of the most impressive weeks outside of Ruffels. The Slovenian has put together 36 straight holes without a bogey. Belac has yet to finish inside the top-10 in 2023, but she hopes her consistent play in Garden City will be a sign of things to come.
“I don’t think I’ve ever done that before,” said Belac. “I’m trying to focus on stuff like that, improvements that I’ve been seeing in my game, and hopefully just keep building off of that tomorrow.”
Sixty-four players made the cut at two-under, including American, Mariel Galdiano and Spaniard, Maria Parra, who like Belac, are at nine-under after the second round.
QUICK QUOTES
Mariel Galdiano (-9, T3) on being in the top 5:
“Over the past couple days you have been able to score but you have to be able to place the ball pretty well. I need to keep doing what I am doing and not try to force anything too much. There are still a few things that I would like to clean up, but I hope to make a few more putts and see what I am able to do tomorrow.”
Cassie Porter (-7, T8) on her confidence heading into the final round:
“Today was pretty solid. I haven’t been playing great lately so it was nice to go out there and feel like myself again. I was able to make a few birdies, keep it rolling. It was a confidence building round and I am looking forward to getting out there tomorrow.”
Kenzie Wright (-7, T8) on only having two bogeys in 36 holes:
“I love this course; it just suits my eye really well. I came into the week feeling confident and knowing my game was there. I tried to minimize as many mistakes as possible and my only bogey today was on my first hole, so I just didn’t really let it bother me. Just trying to stay positive this week.”
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