Jennifer Kupcho and Leona Maguire pulled off a rare and remarkable feat on Friday at the Dow Championship. They grabbed hold of second-round lead with their splendid effort in better-ball action. The new partnership recorded an impressive 10-under 60 round combined, to shot 13-under 127 for the tournament. Held at Midland Country Club, it’s the only team competition on the LPGA Tour. This arrangement brings a really cool vibe to the session!
Kupcho and Maguire’s comfortable lead puts them neck-and-neck with the top quarter of the field in their final stretch. Porter and Gemma Dryburgh were in excellent form early on, taking a one-shot advantage after an opening 62. They dropped back as Kupcho and Maguire took over the race. Porter and Dryburgh made par on the last six holes to complete their round at 11-under.
The competition is still extremely tough, as many other teams are asserting themselves. Lexi Thompson and Meghan Kang shot 65 to leave them tied for ninth at 8-under. While all this was happening, Ruoning Yin and Jeeno Thitikul were tossing in their cards of 66 as well, leaving the pair at 6-under on the day. Other impressive teams are Sarah Schmelzel and Albane Valenzuela. Turning heads are Manon De Roey and Pauline Roussin-Bouchard on 11-under, tied with Yan Liu and Yahui Zhang.
The competitors and their respective teams will continue to do battle with another alternate-shot round set for Saturday. They’ll finish off the weekend with a modified better-ball format on Sunday. The rivalry between Kupcho and Maguire adds an interesting twist to the tournament, especially considering their history as Solheim Cup competitors.
“I think just kind of staying where we’re at and continuing what we’re doing the best we can.” – Jennifer Kupcho
As the event develops, all eyes will be trained on Kupcho and Maguire. Each one of those players is on a mission to protect their first-mover advantage and win the game. Defending champions Kupcho and Lizette Salas will look to repeat their efforts while facing off against a strong international field.
“The plan today was just to give ourselves as many chances as we could, try to get two chances on every hole.” – Leona Maguire
The teams will continue their efforts with another alternate-shot round on Saturday before concluding with a better-ball round on Sunday. The rivalry between Kupcho and Maguire adds an interesting twist to the tournament, especially considering their history as Solheim Cup competitors.
As the event progresses, all eyes will be on Kupcho and Maguire as they aim to maintain their lead and secure a victory. Last year’s champions, Kupcho and Lizette Salas, hope to replicate their success amidst strong competition.
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