With the second round of the Garden City Charity Classic suspended, due to the weather delay initially and then because of darkness, there remain 48 players with incomplete second rounds, with Ireland’s Leona Maguire among them.
With 15 holes completed, Maguire is currently inside the top-20 and is two-under par for her second round having posted a level par 72 on day one and she is seven shots adrift of the leaders.
Winning the tournament is the goal of course but Maguire has her eyes on a much bigger prize, LPGA qualification, and to that end she sits in 5th place on the Volvik Race for the Card with approximately $20,000 separating her from the 10th placed player with 3 events remaining after this weekend. She’ll be hoping to maintain that advantage or improve upon it and with the weather having it’s say she’ll have her work cut out.
At the top of the leaderboard at Buffalo Dunes Golf Course Alejandra Llaneza (Mexico City, Mexico) continued her momentum from day one, having held the overnight advantage, with a 4-under par 68 showing in the second round to sit at 9-under overall.
“It’s a great feeling and has been a while because I think it actually has,” said Llaneza, who recorded back-to-back rounds under par for the first time this season. “Very exciting and I’m focused on playing one shot at a time, having fun. The course is in really good shape which is also helpful.”
Her most recent win as a professional came at the 2017 Pennsylvania Women’s Open, but it was only a two-day event. Llaneza mentioned there was no leaderboard and she never knew what the standings looked like. Meanwhile, the last time she can recall being in a spot like this with knowledge of the situation was her victory at the Self Regional Healthcare Foundation Women’s Health Classic in 2015.
“I can’t remember any other times on the Symetra Tour,” Llaneza said. “I need to stay in the present and keep going, trusting that I’ve done it before. Even though that was my last Symetra Tour win, I played a lot of good tournaments growing up and remember what it is like to win. Hopefully I can grow on that tomorrow, but the main thing is staying one shot at a time and not getting too distracted.”
Llaneza is joined at the top by Lori Beth Adams who has completed only 15 holes of her second round and bizarrely broke her driver during her warm-up.
“It shook me pretty well, but started by hitting it close on No. 10 and easy two-putt,” said Adams, who had a back nine start. “I stayed within myself and didn’t let it get to me because 3-wood is fine here even on the windiest day. Hopefully it can stay calm the rest of the tournament. Now just need to be smart in playing through the wind.”
Nonetheless, the University of North Carolina Wilmington alumna managed to go 6-under par through 15 holes before surrendering the day to darkness. With three holes to finish, it seems very likely Adams will make it 13 straight rounds on the Symetra Tour at even par or better.
“I just feel comfortable over my putting, but I don’t think it’s where I was last season because my putting was really solid,” Adams said. “I want to get back to that and think I’m on the right track, especially now by staying focused on what I can do without a driver.”
Players will restart at 8:00 a.m. local time today and the final round will begin at approximately 10:30 a.m.
Leave a comment