Sara Byrne was unable to make further ground during her second round of the Central Florida Championship but she is still within striking distance heading into the final day.
Byrne, making her Epson Tour debut this week, had opened with a seven birdie round of 67 to lie just one shot back, but a second round of 72 has left her five shots off the pace and needing a low one to get back into the thick of contention tonight.
The Dromoland Castle star is in a share of fifteenth place on five-under after a mixed bag on Saturday.
The 23-year-old opened with a bogey on the 10th but rallied with two birdies in three holes.
A bogey on the 14th was followed by a birdie on the 18th but she couldn’t carry ant momentum into her beacon nine, dropping shots at the 2nd and 8th before picking up a birdie at the 9th.
Juliana Hung, Agathe Laisne and Matilda Castren are tied at the top on ten-under.
An uncharacteristic 2024 season resulted in Castren having to go to the Final Stage of LPGA Q-Series, where she earned dual status on the Epson and LPGA Tour for 2025.
The Finnish star is looking to reach the levels in her game that saw her win on the LPGA Tour and play on the 2021 European Solheim Cup team.
“It feels, honestly, a little bit emotional. I’ve had a couple tough years and haven’t been in this position in a while, and I’m just really, honestly, really thankful to be playing the way I am,” said Castren. “I’ve been working really hard to get my game back and finally feeling a little more comfortable out there playing, so just really thankful to be in the position that I am.”
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