The second round of the Island Resort Championship saw a shakeup at the top of the leaderboard, with two new names taking over the top spots. Round two was almost identical to the first round, with most of the low scores coming in the morning wave. When the final putt dropped, the field was cut down to 65 players that were sitting at even par or better.
Auston Kim is no stranger to going low. The 22-year-old has posted a round of 67 or better in four straight tournaments after she carded the low round of the week with a bogey-free 64 (-8) at the Island Resort Championship. The round was only one-shot off of the course record posted by Morgan Metraux in 2021. When it came to Kim's round today, she had a simple explanation for her impressive moving day.
"It was a good day," said Kim. "My tee shots were good, and a lot of putts went it. It was as simple as that."
Kim started her day on the back nine, but the round really began when she made a birdie on No. 18. After the birdie, Kim would go on a tear on the front nine, making birdies on five out of her next nine holes. A 20-foot birdie putt on her last hole of the day would be the difference between the lead and a tie for the lead heading into the final round.
"I just had a good plan," said Kim. "I don't feel like I really went after pins today; I was just picking good targets and hitting them. I was aggressive when I had good numbers, and like I said, I was just making a lot of putts today."
The weather for the final round is calling for much cooler temperatures than the previous two rounds, with some expected showers throughout the day as well. Even with the 36-hole lead, Kim is welcoming the challenge.
"It will be tough tomorrow if the forecast holds, but I like tough, and I am ready to have some fun." Said Kim.
Natasha Andrea Oon is back in familiar territory heading into Sunday, right near the top of the leaderboard. The rookie already has five top-10 finishes this year, with two being runner-up results. Oon had a rollercoaster of a front nine, making her first par on her sixth hole of the day. From then on, Oon was bogey-free and added three more birdies to the card before her day was concluded. With a win on Sunday, Oon would overtake Gabriela Ruffels in the top spot in the Race for the Card standings.
"I started my round really good with two birdies but then I made two bogeys and then made another birdie," said Oon. "The wind was crazy at the beginning of the round and I was like 'oh I've made no pars, this is weird' but then I got into this really good rhythm after that. I think the fact that I bounced back from those early bogeys was big, and I am really proud of myself today."
Being at the top of the leaderboard does not faze Tsai Ching Tseng, who is looking to make a statement in her first career Epson Tour start. Tseng put together a solid 18 holes in round two after opening her tournament with a six-under round. The 70 (-2) was a tough day for Tseng, which makes the round even more impressive for the 23-year-old. Tseng showed she had the mental game to compete at this level and has the game to compete even when she felt she did not have her A game.
"Today was actually a little tough for me. I didn't hit my driver very good, and the putts just didn't seem to want to go in," said Tseng. "I just kept my mentality positive and tried to give myself as many chances to make birdie that I could."
Rounding out the rest of the top finishers are Hira Naveed and Teresa Toscano, who are at -7 and sit at T4 for the tournament.
QUICK QUOTES
Teresa Toscano (-7, T4) on her solid play as of late:
"The game is pretty good right now, it's solid. I am getting off the tee well, but I did leave a couple of short putts out there today that I am not okay with. I just have to keep playing the same way I have been the past couple of days. There might be some rain tomorrow and it is going to be a little cooler, but it doesn't change the gameplay for tomorrow."
Amelia Lewis (-6, T6) on finding her game at the Island Resort Championship:
"I feel really good. I have told my coaches and my family that I have been hitting it great and when the putter gets on it is going to be good. This week I finally figured out some things with my putting and I have been so close lately, but it seems to be coming together now."
Savannah Vilaubi (-5, T9) on her seven-under 65 on moving day:
"I noticed I could start getting a little more aggressive on hole eight. I was like 'Okay. We got it today. We can play more aggressive now.' So, I started to tighten up my lines to the pins and just trusted my swing."
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