It was a tie at the top for all of one hole after Kelli Ann Strand teed off for round two of the Otter Creek Championship on Saturday. A birdie on her first hole of the day was a 180 from round one, and once she grabbed control of the lead, she never let it go. The second round separated the field, with the once stacked leaderboard now looking like a two-horse race between Strand and Jillian Hollis, with Hollis three shots back. The next closest competitor after Hollis is Yu-Sang Hou, who is currently five shots behind the leader and two shots behind second.

Strand has been putting on a clinic through 36 holes, rolling in 16 birdies in that span. The second round was more of the same for the leader. After starting her day with a birdie, she would add four more on her opening nine, with a bogey on hole 7 having her make the turn with a 4-under 32. The birdie barrage continued on the back nine, with Strand rolling in consecutive birdies on holes 12 and 13, nearly making an ace on the par-3 13th, famously known to the locals as “Alcatraz.”

“Birdieing 12 and then that shot on 13, I didn't think it was that close, but got up there and it was a tap-in,” explained Strand. “I mean, it's always nice having birdies that are easy tap-ins. It definitely gives me momentum going into the rest of the holes.”

Before the end of her round, Strand did have one more mistake, making a bogey on hole 17. The Idaho native bounced back immediately, however, ending her day on a high note with a birdie on the 18th.

This is the first 36-hole lead for Strand on the Epson Tour as she looks to win her first career Epson Tour trophy.

“It's exciting to be in this spot. Anytime you can be here is great,” said Strand with a smile. “I think it’s just, I'm playing another round of golf tomorrow, trying not to think too much of where I'm sitting, but I mean, it's exciting going into tomorrow.”

Despite a 4-under Moving Day, Hollis was unable to catch Strand and further narrow the lead. But the Epson Tour veteran, who has found herself in the winner’s circle three times on the Official Qualifying Tour of the LPGA, knows what it takes to hoist a trophy on the Epson Tour. In fact, her most recent win at the 2022 Circling Raven Championship was the result of an 8-under final round, making for an exciting Championship Sunday in Columbus, Ind., regardless of what the leaderboard says after 36 holes of competition.

Due to the possibility of weather in the area, the final round of the Otter Creek Championship presented by Case Construction is moving to threesomes off holes 1 and 10 starting at 9:15 a.m. local time. The leaders will tee off at 11:16 a.m. off Otter Creek Golf Course’s first hole.

Strand Takes a Three-Shot Lead after Stellar Second Round at Otter Creek Championship

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