Stephanie Meadow may not have hit a competitive shot in almost six weeks, but you couldn’t tell it by looking at the leaderboard at the Blue Bay LPGA event in Jian Lake, Hainan Island China where the Jordanstown woman has pushed her way up to a tie for sixth at the midpoint.
Six birdies, two bogeys and a double-bogey all featured in her opening, two-under-par effort which left her a little frustrated but still well placed in a tie for 20th and five off the early pace set by Australian Minjee Lee.
Meadow had the benefit of being one of the early starters in round two having shot that first round 70 in the afternoon when the wind became much more of a factor and the greens less receptive, though the wind was considerably stronger than it had been for the first groups out on day one. Though she’d get off to the perfect start with a birdie at the first, she’d bogey the fifth and par the other seven holes on the front nine to make the turn at level-par for the day and in need of a little inspiration.
But she duly found it, making birdie at 10, 13 and 14 – two par-4s and a par-5 – to come charging up the leaderboard. A bogey at 15 temporarily set her back, but after regrouping with a par on 16, back-to-back birdies on 17 and 18 got her into the clubhouse at -4 on the day and -6 overall, eventually ending the day three shots off the lead.
“Yeah, it was really nice to birdie 17 and 18,” she said afterwards. “I hit the ball really solid. It was a little bit gusty out there today so you got to play smart. I was really happy how I hit the ball today.”
Having made just one start in 2024, that coming at the LPGA Drive On Championship back in January, she’s had to watch from the sidelines as the limited field Asian LPGA events, plus the LET’s Saudi International, afforded opportunities for her opponents to sharpen their games, but practicing at home and a new addition to the Meadow-Kallan household clearly have her close to firing on all cylinders.
“Not a whole lot,” she replied when asked how she’d filled the time between events. “Just family. We got a new puppy so we have two puppies now. Just spent time with my husband and practicing as much as I could.”
She’s now set for a late tee time on moving day, and she knows that approach play is key to scoring low on a course notorious for its tricky green.
“It’s one of those golf courses you have to hit solid iron shots in and position yourself well with how undulating the greens are,” she said, before adding: “But, again, it’s all to play for on the weekend. Just put some good shots together and see where it goes.”
After bursting onto the scene in 2014 when she finished solo third, three shots behind winner Michelle Wie, she’s now had 10 years on the LPGA circuit where longevity is rare, but she’s still loving the challenge of competing and quite clearly still has the game to match.
“This is what I’ve always dreamed of doing,” she said. “I can’t imagine — obviously at some point I’ll stop, but I am just really thankful to still be out here and have such a long career, and hopefully I can make my last few years even better than the first ten.”
Two more good rounds are required, of course, but with the wind picking up on day two, nobody has been able to separate themselves from the field, and the -9 lead is now jointly held by American Sarah Schmelzel and China’s Narin An. The former shot a three-under 69 to leapfrog first round leader Lee, but An’s -7 was the round of the day by far, with nobody else beating Meadow’s -4. An actually got it to -8 on the day and 10-under overall before bogeying her 17th.
Korea’s Hye-Jin Choi is in solo third at -8, while Ruixin Liu and Minjee Lee at -7 are the only other players ahead of Meadow after two rounds.
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