Round two’s sunny skies led to a wealth of red numbers at Indian Wells Golf Resort – Celebrity Course. The field of 103 athletes was narrowed down to 60 after the cut was made at 3-under. Of those who advanced to the weekend, several posted career-best rounds, setting the stage for an exciting final stretch.

Anne Chen was striving for a low round when she teed off in the afternoon and started off hot with three consecutive birdies in her first three holes of the day on Nos. 10 through 12. The Duke University alum then continued to drain putt after putt, making the turn at 6-under for the round.

The North Carolina native settled into her back nine with a pair of pars on one and two before dropping three more birdies on holes three through five. Chen signed for an 8-under 64 to climb to the top of the leaderboard and sits at 12-under total heading into Moving Day.

Chen expressed what a strong finish this week would mean to her, saying, “(It would mean) a lot. I struggled a bit this year but also played a lot better than I did last year in my half-season. To finish this last tournament would mean the world to me. It would mean a lot to my parents, too, because they put in so much work, as well.”

Currently No. 2 in the Race for the Card, Yana Wilson may be fighting a back injury this week, but she is still chasing her goal of earning both Rookie and Player of the Year honors. If Wilson can surpass Melanie Geen and win both awards, she will be the first to hold the dual title since Madelene Sagstrom in 2016. The 19-year-old performed well in front of her family this morning, signing for a bogey-free 65 that was highlighted by a 5-under 31 on her back nine.

“It's been really awesome. Honestly, I don't really get to see them much, and they're not really that close,” Wilson said about her support system. “I have family from Hawaii and some from California, and then I have an aunt coming in from Tennessee. So kind of everywhere, but it's really nice to have them out here and have a nice little crowd. So it's been pretty cool.”

Rookie Alice Hodge may be very nervous and uncomfortable competing in her first Epson Tour Championship, but she is not letting it show in her golf game. The New Yorker posted a steady 4-under bogey-free 68 in the second round. Hodge came into the week treating this playing opportunity as a “bonus” and is using that mindset to free herself up as she heads into the weekend in search of her first Epson Tour win, which would launch her from No. 59 into the top 15, making her LPGA Tour dreams a reality.

“I don't really know. I feel like this is a very new place for me,” Hodge said about her emotions going into the weekend. “So I'm very nervous, a little bit uncomfortable. I'm just going to try and lean into that and enjoy the experience. The only way to get better at it is to do it.”

Despite an unsteady start, Sophia Schubert carded a 3-under 69, moving her to 10-under total, and she currently sits in a tie for second after the second round of the Epson Tour Championship at Indian Wells, closely pursued by a trio of athletes who are sitting in a tie for fifth at 9-under.

Isabella Fierro fired a 4-under 32 on her front nine to kick off round two, one that saw the current No. 15 in the Epson Tour Race for the Card standings start strong, as she sank a birdie putt on the par-4 first hole, followed by back-to-back birdies on holes three and four. The former Oklahoma State University Cowgirl backed up her solid opening nine with three birdies on the back, including two consecutive birdies on the par-4 10th and 11th holes.

Fierro ultimately posted a 7-under 65 and has found herself three shots behind the lead after round two at T5 overall. The Mexico native is ecstatic to play the weekend and is now shifting her focus as she looks to finish the season on a high note, with a chance to officially secure her position inside the coveted top 15 and earn her LPGA Tour card for the 2026 season come Sunday afternoon.

Fierro shares fifth with Amari Avery and Yu-Sang Hou heading into Moving Day. Avery fired a 5-under 67 on day two, highlighted by a 3-under 33 on her back nine. Hou maneuvered around Indian Wells Golf Resort’s Celebrity Course bogey-free, carding six birdies on her opening nine to finish with a 66 and currently sits at 9-under total.

German Isi Gabsa may have entered the week with some injuries, but she is not letting them get in the way of her dreams of getting back to the LPGA Tour. Gabsa is currently No. 27 in the Race for the Card and fired a bogey-free 8-under to climb the leaderboard on Friday morning.

The 30-year-old carded a 4-under 32 on both of her nines, highlighted by two three-hole stretches of birdies on holes three, four, five, as well as on holes 12, 13, and 14. The Epson Tour veteran heads into the weekend sitting in a tie for eighth place, only four shots out of the leader, Anne Chen.

The third round will begin on Saturday at 7:15 a.m. local time. Follow along with live scoring here.

Anne Chen Cards an 8-under to Take the Lead Through Second Round of the Epson Tour Championship at Indian Wells

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