On day two in Daytona Beach, Fla., two familiar names remained at the top of the leaderboard while others rose to join in the conversation. Rookie Michelle Zhang continued her dominant play to break away into the solo lead, while Korean Minji Kang shot another under-par round to finish 36 hols in second place.
With a strong start out of the gate yesterday, Zhang followed up with a stellar bogey-free 67 to claim the lead, two shots ahead of competitor Kang. With three birdies on holes 11, 12 and 18 on her front nine, the former Southern Methodist University student made the turn at three-under. Zhang had her only pair of birdies for the day after making a birdie on the 1st hole. The China native made her last birdie of the day on the par-5 5th hole, before parring out to close out her round.
Zhang, a newbie on the Epson Tour this year, started her professional career in June after wrapping up her freshman year at SMU. Since then, she has played 12 events and finished in the top 10 twice at the Hartford HealthCare Women’s Championship (T9) and the Guardian Championship (T3). Sitting at No. 47 in the Race for the Card, Zhang has a chance to play her way into the top 35, and be exempt for LPGA Q-Series. Her attitude, and frequent checking of leaderboards, might just motivate her to make the 12-spot jump.
“I always like to check the leaderboard,” she said. “Everyone around me knows I like to see where I'm at, where the leader is at, and then just kind of setting myself a little goal throughout the day, be like this is who I'm trying to chase for the day.”
“Knowing I need a really good week to finish off this season, I was kind of just like, if I shoot for the moon, and I don't end up in the moon, I'll still be in the stars is kind of my mindset throughout the week,” Zhang said as she sets her focus to Saturday’s round.
After carding one of two rounds of 63 yesterday, Kang started her second round on Friday morning on hole 1. The 23-year-old began her round with her one of two bogeys for the day, dropping one shot out of the lead after the first hole. Not letting the lead escape her, she followed up her bogey with a birdie to remain at even-par. Kang managed to make the turn at two-under par, thanks to two birdies on Nos. 4 and 9, and pushed to extend her lead with a birdie on the 10th hole. Sitting at three-under par for the day, the 2023 Epson Tour rookie made her second bogey on the par 4 12th before hitting a string of pars down the stretch. Finishing on the rather popular birdie hole, No. 18, Kang birdied her last hole, one where she saw an eagle in her first round.
“Like yesterday, my mindset was just enjoy. No pressure to play. It's the last tournament of the season,” said Kang, who sits in second place after Friday. “I think that makes for a better round. That makes my game better. I can have more confidence playing out here today than maybe the rest of them (tournaments).”
As a 2023 rookie, Kang has played in every event during the 2023 Epson Tour season. She has recorded a total of $100,165 in earnings this year, and sits at No. 7 on the Race for the Card. Her first season as a professional, Kang has missed just two cuts, and earned seven top-10 finishes. Looking at her year, there is one memory that sticks out to the Atlanta, Ga. resident.
“I had one playoff in Connecticut. I had like seven playoff holes there, and it was a pretty good memory for me and good experience,” said Kang, who finished in a tie for second alongside Ssu-Chia Cheng after losing in a playoff to fellow rookie Jenny Bae. “I had several (finishes) inside the top-10 this year. I think that's all good experience for me playing out here. There are so many events, and I was playing all the different courses, so those were good experiences for me.”
LPGA Tour veteran and 2019 Epson Tour rookie Alana Uriell fired a 65 on Friday to move from T13 to solo third place. Uriell went bogey-free for the day, carding seven birdies including a four-hole streak from Nos. 7 to 10, and a pair of birdies on holes 12 and 13. The University of Arkansas graduate capped off the day with a birdie on the 18th hole.
Heading into the weekend, seven players sit in a tie for fourth at 10-under behind Zhang, Kang and Uriell. 25-year-old Mariel Galdiano made the biggest jump, moving from a tie in 24th. South African Kaleigh Telfer climbed up the leaderboard with a second-round 66, helped by a string of four birdies on holes 9 through 12. Also shooting a six-under, Gabriela Ruffels attempts to break the all-time money record set by Madelene Sagstrom in 2016, as she is just $10,781 short heading into the week. Baylor University graduate and rookie Gurleen Kaur shot a 68 with an eagle on the par-5 5th. Epson Tour veteran Carley Cox wrapped up a four-under round with an eagle on No. 18 on Friday. Chinese player Shuangshuang Fan moved up from a tie in seventh after her round that saw a total of seven birdies and three bogeys. Rounding out the four players in 3rd place, LPGA Tour veteran Alena Sharp shot a 69 to stay within the top 5. Sixty-five players made the cut at -3.
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