Rachel Rohanna (-10) remains the leader through two rounds of the Symetra Tour Championship in Daytona Beach, Fla. Second round play was suspended on Saturday evening at 6:47 p.m., with 21 groups left to complete play on Sunday.
Round-one leader Yu Liu, finished her second round on a high note with a birdie on 18 on Sunday to play her way into Monday’s final group at 8-under par.
When Liu completed her second round, which spanned the course of two days, she was beaming when she heard the final round wouldn’t be starting until Monday.
“It was a very hot round out there today, so I kind of lost my concentration towards the end,” Liu said. “It’s definitely great for me to have some time off and recharge to get ready for tomorrow.”
Liu is No. 8 on the Volvik Race for the Card and is looking forward to putting in a good round on Monday to secure her LPGA Tour card. “I’m very excited to be where I am right now heading into the final round of the final tournament of the season,” Liu said.
No. 1 on the Volvik Race for the Card Benyapa Niphatsophon rocketed up the leaderboard on Sunday as she turned in a bogey-free 6-under par 66. She is one of five players to have locked in their 2018 LPGA Tour cards.
Emma Talley entered the Symetra Tour Championship on the bubble at No. 10 on the Volvik Race for the Card, and has put herself in a great spot heading into the final round at 7-under par in fourth place.
“I’m playing really well right now, hitting my irons really well and giving myself a lot of birdie opportunities,” Talley said. “I had a lot of lip outs, so it feels good coming off the round feeling like I could’ve played better, but I’m still near the top of the leaderboard.”
Talley, the 2013 U.S Women’s Amateur Champion and 2015 NCAA Golf Individual Champion, won her first Symetra tournament earlier this season and is ready to lock in her LPGA card.
“I’m excited. I’m glad to have given myself this opportunity,” Talley said. “Hopefully tomorrow I can play well and get my card, but I’ve got 18 more holes, so it’s not over till the fat lady sings.”
The third and final round of the Symetra Tour Championship will begin at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 9, with the leaders teeing off at 10:20 a.m.
The final five holes of the Symetra Tour Championship will be broadcast on Facebook Live hosted by Amy Rogers and Gail Graham with interviews by Baily Mosier on www.facebook.com/LPGA.
Volvik Race for the Card Update
The top 10 on the Volvik Race for the Card money list at the conclusion of the Symetra Tour Championship will earn LPGA Tour membership for the 2018 season. There are five players – No. 1 Benyapa Niphatsophon, No. 2 Celine Boutier, No. 3 Hannah Green, No. 4 Nanna Koerstz Madsen, No. 5 Erynne Lee – who have already secured their Tour cards. There are five spots up for grabs.
Here’s how the top 15 players in the Volvik Race for the Card sit heading into the final round of the tournament (place, score).
- Benyapa Niphatsophon (T2, -8)
- Celine Boutier (T8, -3)
- Hannah Green (T17, -1)
- Nanna Koerstz Madsen (T17, -1)
- Erynne Lee (T17, -1)
- Lindsey Weaver (T33, +1)
- Anne-Catherine Tanguay (T23, E)
- Yu Liu (T2, -8)
- Katelyn Dambaugh (T72, +5)
- Emma Talley (4, -7)
- Daniele Darquea (T62, +4)
- Sophia Popov (T23, E)
- Kendall Dye (5, -6)
- Paola Moreno (T8, -3)
- Elizabeth Szokol (T72, +5)
If the tournament ended after the second round there would be no changes among the top ten players in the Volvik Race for the Card, though a few players would swap positions:
- Benyapa Niphatsophon
- Hannah Green
- Celine Boutier
- Erynne Lee
- Nanna Koerstz Madsen
- Yu Liu
- Lindsey Weaver
- Anne-Catherine Tanguay
- Emma Talley
- Katelyn Dambaugh