Day two of the Hartford HealthCare Women's Championship was a marathon of golf. The athletes had to test their endurance and mental fortitude throughout the day at Great River Golf Club. Due to darkness, yesterday’s first round was suspended, with the completion of round one resuming today at 7:15 a.m. ET followed by round two beginning at 9 a.m. ET. As the sun set, just enough light peeked through the clouds before the last putt dropped just before dark. At the end of 36 holes, two players were able to make their way to the top of the leaderboard and currently share the lead with 18 holes to play.
Playing in just the second Epson Tour event of her career, Jenny Bae finds herself tied for the lead with one round to play. Bae is a University of Georgia Bulldog alum with an impressive amateur resume. To name a few accomplishments of the 21-year-old, she was the recipient of the Juli Inkster Award for the top female collegiate golfer in their final year of eligibility, and she was the runner-up in the 2023 Augusta National Women's Amateur, losing to LPGA Tour rookie and champion, Rose Zhang. Bae competed in one event before heading to the Hartford HealthCare Women's Championship, but in that one event, she gained a lot of knowledge about life as a professional.
"I was super nervous at my first event," said Bae. "It is a new level compared to college golf. I realized that golf is golf, and out here, you are by yourself. You don't have a team next to you or a coach telling you what to do. I think I had to accept the fact that I'm alone on the course, and I am going to need to make my own decisions."
Bae would post one of the day's best rounds in round two. A bogey-free 66 (-6) would move her into the solo lead before the afternoon wave teed off. The rookie will have 18 holes on Sunday to make a statement in only her second career event.
"I went into this week with no expectations. I told myself every hole is a new chance, and at some point, the ball is going to drop. I just stayed patient and had a bit of luck," said Bae. "Everything just kind of flowed. My chipping and putting I was really confident in, and I didn't really overthink anything. It was just a really good day."
Minji Kang is tied with Bae at the top and matched Bae's 66 with a 66 of her own. Kang's round included eight birdies, despite having a few blemishes on the card, bringing her back down to six under for the day. Kang has struggled over the past three events, only making one cut. The Republic of Korea native found something in her game early in round two and took advantage down the stretch in Milford.
"When I started the tournament yesterday, I was struggling with my irons," said Kang. "But today I felt way better, so I tried to play more aggressive, and that seemed to work today. My putter feels good as well, so I was just trying to play my game."
Ssu-Chia Cheng rounds out the top three heading into the final round. Cheng is the only leader from round one who remains within a shot of the lead. The first-round leader started the day with a bogey, but it would be the only hiccup on her scorecard. The following 17 holes were bogey-free and included four birdies for a 69 (-3) in round two. Despite only being one shot back, Cheng feels like she did not have her A game in round two and will look to regroup heading into day three.
"My game today wasn't as good as yesterday, so I just tried to hang in out there," said Cheng. "I just keep working on my process and staying present when I play. Tomorrow I am going to need to stay patient and just go out there and try and have some fun."
Rounding out the top 5 is Alyaa Abdulghany (4th) at -7 and Jiwon Jeon (5th) at -6, respectively.
QUICK QUOTES
Alyaa Adbulghany (-7, 4th) on finishing her last six holes five-under:
“Mistakes are going to happen out there and unfortunately my management when I made double was not good. I knew if I stayed patient and stuck to my process for the rest of the round I would be okay and it ended up being great. Those birdies put me in a good spot going into tomorrow and I hope I will have a chance to win tomorrow.”
Beatrice Wallin (-5, T6) on her six-under round two:
“I feel like my round switched when I holed out of No. 12, which was my third hole of the day. After that I was just like ‘Okay, let’s go’ and I started putting better and making some birdies. It was just a momentum change after the hole out and I just thought maybe it could be my day.”
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