The second round of the Otter Creek Championship turned into a nail-biter, with multiple players making a run on Moving Day. Savannah Vilaubi and Brooke Matthews stayed consistent with rounds under par and found themselves in a share of the lead at the end of the day at -9.

Vilaubi signed for a 4-under 68 with six birdies and two bogeys on her card. The 30-year-old hasn't seen the results she's wanted so far this season, making the solid two days of golf that much more exciting. So far, the California native has made four cuts in eight starts on the Epson Tour. She also qualified for the Women's U.S. Open presented by Ally, but missed the cut at Lancaster Country Club after shooting 88-71.

"I'm really happy to be back in contention," Vilaubi said. "I've been working really hard the last few weeks. And obviously being at the Women's U.S. Open was really special, but my good golf did not show up when it mattered. Recovering from that, it took a little time, but now mentally and physically, it feels like the game is finally coming together. I just can't overthink it tomorrow, and I've just got to let it show up without any expectations."

Vilaubi is no stranger to the Epson Tour's winner's circle. She picked up her first win at the 2023 Copper Rock Championship and finished the season 18th in the Race for the Card standings, just eight spots shy of earning her LPGA Tour card and returning to the LPGA Tour. A win in Columbus, Ind. would put her on her way to another chance at calling herself an Epson Tour graduate in October.

"Obviously Otter Creek's a bigger event for us this year, so this is so exciting," said Vilaubi, who became a 2022 LPGA Tour rookie after first earning Membership through 2021 Final Qualifying. "It's so exciting because when you win, you prove so much to yourself, and it really just validates all of the hard work that you put in. Everybody works hard out here, and sometimes you just really don't see the results. This would mean so much for my process."

Matthews signed for a 2-under 70 on Saturday, carding four birdies and two bogeys along the way. Despite her scorecard looking boring compared to what she called a magical first round, the 25-year-old played well enough to keep herself at the top of the leaderboard.

"It was good today," said Matthews. "Obviously yesterday was a little bit of a magical day. Today I played really well. I thought some of the pins were maybe a little more challenging, and the wind was out of a different direction, so I was just playing what the golf course gave me, and it ended up being a two-under round."

The game plan remains the same for Matthews heading into the final round. She knows that both birdies and bogeys are out there and she said she’s focusing on managing her emotions on the challenging Otter Creek Golf Course. Another solid round for Matthews, even if the result isn't a win, would safely put her inside the Race for the Card's coveted top 15, as she's only two spots (72.679 points) behind Kum-Kang Park in 15th.

"Days like today are a lot more common than days like yesterday," said Matthews. "They're really fun when they happen like yesterday, but everybody's going to make bogeys. It's just managing yourself, managing your emotions and knowing that I'm hitting it good enough that if I make a bogey, I can get it back."

Pornanong Phatlum sits in third place after a 3-under 69 on Saturday. The 34-year-old carded four birdies and one bogey. Just one shot behind Phatlum, and two shots behind the leaders, are Haylee Harford and Saki Baba after shooting a 69 and 72, respectively. The trio that rounds out the top five have shown they have what it takes to win throughout the opening 36 holes, making for an interesting Sunday.

The final round begins at 7:30 a.m. local time with the leaders going off at 11:54 a.m.

Vilaubi Meets Matthews at the Top of Otter Creek Championship Leaderboard

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