What felt like a two-horse race for most of the second round turned into one as Lauren Stephenson opened a 4-shot lead with just 18 holes left to play. Kaleigh Telfer and Maria Bohorquez are the closest to the 36-hole leader, with Telfer joining Stephenson in the final pairing after a 6-under 66 in round two. Telfer and Bohorquez will need to mount a monumental comeback to chase down Stephenson, who has been scarily consistent over the first two days.

Stephenson got out of the gate fast, making birdies on one, two and three, adding another birdie at No. 6 before making the turn. She started her back nine just like her front nine by rolling in a birdie on her first hole. However, that would be the last of the day, with the 27-year-old making eight straight pars to close out her bogey-free second round. Through 36 holes, she has only made one bogey, posting back-to-back 5-under rounds. Stephenson will enter the final round in the final pairing for the third time this season, looking to take home her first professional win.

"I joked with my coach in Atlantic Beach that I haven't been in the final group or in contention since I turned pro, so it was really nice to, like, kind of just be there and feel like what that is like again," explained Stephenson. "I'm just happy to be playing well and having the opportunities. I turned down LPGA this week because I believe in myself and my game, and I'm excited to see it paying off."

Telfer will have the best look at how Stephenson is playing during the final round, with a bogey-free 6-under 65 moving her into the final group. The 6-under round is the lowest of the tournament so far and Telfer's second-lowest round of the season. The South African had a runner-up finish earlier this year at the Copper Rock Championship, where Fiona Xu set the all-time Epson Tour scoring record. With her eyes set on victory, Telfer is within shouting distance as she tries to close the gap on Stephenson and claim a first professional victory of her own.

"I think obviously the experience helps a little bit, but I am just trying to play the golf course," said Telfer. "Lauren's obviously playing really good right now. So, I'm not going to try and chase her, but just play my game and play the golf course and see what's the best score I can shoot tomorrow."

ABOUT THE LEADERS

Lauren Stephenson signed for another 5-under 66 to lead the Twin Bridges Championship at 10-under

The 27-year-old had six birdies and one bogey in her opening round and was bogey-free with five birdies in her second round
A win tomorrow would be Stephenson’s first professional victory
She has spent the last five years on the LPGA Tour
- In that time, she collected five top-10 finishes, including a top-10 finish at the 2020 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship
Finished her rookie season 10th in the Louise Suggs Rookie of the Year standings on the LPGA Tour
Was a member of the 2018 U.S. Curtis Cup and Arnold Palmer Cup Teams

THINGS TO KNOW

Kaleigh Telfer signed for a 6-under 66 to join Stephenson in the final pairing on Sunday

Telfer made six birdies and zero bogeys to make her way to the top of the leaderboard in round two
This is Telfer’s third season on the Epson Tour
The 25-year-old has six top-10 finishes on the Epson Tour since 2022
- Her best career finishes came at the 2023 Epson Tour Championship and 2024 Copper Rock Championship, where she finished runner-up
The South Africa native finished No. 26 in the 2023 Race for the Card
- She currently holds the No. 10 spot in the 2024 Race for the Card

Emma Broze and Miranda Wang carded the low scores of the morning wave with 4-under 67’s in round two

Broze

The second round 67 included 7 birdies and three bogeys
- It is also her lowest score of the season
Broze is in her fourth season on the Epson Tour
The 28-year-old won the 2021 Danielle Downey Credit Union Classic
- She has five additional top-10 finishes
She has made four of 11 cuts so far this season

Wang

Wang rolled in six birdies in her second round
- A double bogey on No. 16 was her only over-par score of the day
She won the 2023 IOA Championship presented by Morongo Casino Resort and Spa
- Her best result this year is a T4 finish at the Hartford HealthCare Women’s Championship
- She has three straight top-10 finishes coming into this week
The 25-year-old was the ANNIKA Women’s All Pro Tour (WAPT) Player of the Year
Won the clinching match to give Duke University its seventh NCAA Championship in the 2018-2019 season

QUICK QUOTES

Miranda Wang (-2, T6) on her 4-under second round:

“I'm feeling pretty comfortable on the on the golf course. These two courses, like last week and this week, are pretty challenging. Some tight tee shots, and the greens are small. I just kept on telling myself to just be patient and hit my shot.”

Jenny Bae (E, T16) on making the cut at both tournaments she won last year:

“It feels really good. I'm really excited to play again tomorrow. It's been a bit rough last week and this week, but a lot of things are working now for me, so that's good. I was playing the last two days and all I could think about is what ‘did I do on this hole last year?’. There's just a lot of memories.”

Riley Smyth (E, T16) on playing well after the reshuffle and solidifying her spot on Tour going forward:

“I mean it honestly just feels good to be playing. It was definitely a rough start to the year, just not getting into events. Everything is shaping into form at the right time of year. Just making cuts, being in contention, it just gives me more opportunities every week.”

Lauren Stephenson Has a Four-Shot Lead as She Eyes Her First Professional Win

Related Articles