A familiar face returns to the top of the leaderboard at the Guardian Championship, as Cydney Clanton is tied for the lead and will be on the hunt to defend her title from 2023. Tied with Clanton is golf phenom Ingrid Lindblad, who is making just her sixth start on the Epson Tour since turning professional this spring. Lindblad was the No. 1 ranked amateur in the world before turning professional, and with eight players within two shots of the lead, the final round of the Guardian Championship is set up to be one of the best finishes of the season.

Clanton returned to Prattville, Ala. in hopes of defending her title and adding a fourth trophy to her resume. After 36 holes, the veteran finds herself in a similar position as 2023, but this time she only holds a share of the lead. Clanton had a straightforward first round, posting a 5-under, 67 with seven birdies and two bogeys on the day, and despite signing for the same score on Saturday, the second round was almost the complete opposite for the Auburn University alum.

The first under-par score of the day for Clanton was a hole-out eagle on the par 4 3rd, followed by another birdie on the 4th hole. A bogey eventually came on No. 6, but she answered back with a birdie on No. 7, making the turn at 3-under. The back nine was riddled with birdies and bogeys, with Clanton tallying five birdies, one bogey, and one double bogey on her way to a 2-under back nine, coming together for her second straight 5-under 67. The 35-year-old feels a sense of comfort in this part of Alabama, and it has been showing in her game over the past two years.

“It's a joy to come back in the Auburn area. We're about an hour from Auburn. I'm actually staying in Auburn,” explained Clanton. “I’m just really content being back at the alma mater and being able to kind of use the practices there, but it also just feels really comfortable here. I've played a lot here. So, it's nice to have a good, solid start.”

Lindblad will be in the final group with Clanton on Sunday and will be looking for her first win on the Epson Tour just months after turning professional. The Swede is accustomed to winning, earning medalist honors 15 times while attending Louisiana State University (LSU). While winning at any level in golf is impressive, it is a different animal competing to win on the professional scene. Lindblad has handled herself like she has been a professional for years, however, matching Clanton with a pair of 67s over her first two rounds but doing so with only one bogey on the card.

“It is nice being back down here in the South,” said Lindblad. “It was so nice coming back to Bermuda (grass). I practice on it a lot when I'm down in Baton Rouge, so I was excited about that. I feel pretty good. I hit 15 greens yesterday. I don't know what I hit today, but I made a couple of par saves today, like five and six-footers for par, which really helped.”

A group of five players sit just one shot behind the leaders, including first-round leader Benedetta Moresco who carded a 2-under, 70 on day two, and Amy Lee who will round out the lead threesome after a second-round 65. Also in the 9-under group is the Epson Tour’s most recent champion, Yahui Zhang, who is looking to go back-to-back and be the first two-time winner of the 2024 season.

The final round is set to begin at 7 a.m. local time with the leaders going off No. 1 at 9:01 a.m. local time.

ABOUT THE LEADERS

Cydney Clanton and Ingrid Lindblad share the lead at 10-under after 36 holes at the Guardian Championship

Clanton

Clanton has made 14 birdies and an eagle over her first 36 holes
She has three career wins on the Epson Tour
The Auburn University alumnae is the defending champion of the Guardian Championship
She has competed in over 150 LPGA Tour events, including 25 major championships
She won the 2019 Dow Championship on the LPGA Tour with partner Jasmine Suwannapura
Clanton has an additional 8 top-10 finishes on the LPGA Tour

Lindblad

Lindblad has made 11 birdies and only one bogey through two rounds
The rookie has made five starts on the Epson Tour since graduating from Louisiana State University (LSU)
She has two top-10 finishes in those five starts
She was the No. 1 ranked amateur before turning professional
In her time at LSU, she had 15 medalist finishes

THINGS TO KNOW

Yahui Zhang signed for a 3-under 69 as she looks for back-to-back victories

Zhang has 10 birdies and one bogey in 36 holes
She is currently No. 1 in the Race for the Card rankings
Her win last week at the Four Winds Invitational was her first professional victory
The 18-year-old leads the Tour in top-10 finishes earned in 2024, with six
Her best finish before the win was 2nd at the Otter Creek Championship, where she lost to Savannah Vilaubi in a playoff
Zhang’s best standing in the World Amateur Golf Rankings was 29th

Lakareber Abe cards a second-round 67 to move into a tie for fifth

Abe was bogey-free in her second round with five birdies
She has made nine of 14 cuts this season
The University of Alabama grad finished T8 on the LPGA Tour at the 2024 Dow Championship with partner Georgia Oboh
Abe has competed on the Epson Tour since 2018, with her best result coming at the 2020 Florida’s Natural Charity Classic where she finished T3

QUICK QUOTES

Amy Lee (-9, T3) on her 7-under round and her form as of late:

“The game is feeling great. I had a really tough first half of the year and it's really been coming together the last like 4 or 5 events. Earlier in the year, right before Albany, it looked like I had to go back to stage one. I was sitting at 128 and since then, I had a couple of top tens, and I didn't have to go. My game feels really good right now.”

Leah John (-9, T3) on her performance this week and how she feels heading into the final round:

“I'm rolling it quite well and, making decisions quickly out there. My recoveries and bounce-backs have been solid. I just feel like I'm staying emotionally steady out there. You don't learn how to win a tournament on Epson by not being in these positions. So, I'm just feeling open to whatever comes my way tomorrow.”

Lakareber Abe (-8, T8) on how she has managed to only make one bogey over her first two rounds:

“I've just been trying to play really smart and be really patient. I feel like the last two weeks I've just gotten really ahead of myself. So, this week I just wanted to not worry about the score so much. Just every shot, commit to it. Just pick a target and not worry about the result.”

The Defending Champion and a Former World No. 1 Lead the Way at the Guardian Championship

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