Ingrid Lindblad showcased her skills at El Caballero Country Club, joining Ashleigh Buhai at the top of the leaderboard after two days of the JM Eagle LA Championship in her fourth LPGA Tour start as a rookie. On a cool, overcast Friday, Lindblad carded an impressive 9-under 63, her best performance to date, to secure her position at 13-under 131.
Reflecting on her performance, Lindblad, who honed her skills at LSU and hails from Sweden, shared her thoughts on the commitment and effort that leads to success in golf. “I feel like if you put the work in, eventually it’s going to show up,” Lindblad expressed. She further elaborated on her recent improvements, adding, “After a day like this, it shows that it paid off.”
On this crisp day where temperatures hovered in the low 60s, Lindblad managed to secure 10 birdies and only one bogey during her first 14 holes, eventually closing out her round with four pars. She credited her good fortune on the greens, stating, “It wasn’t just like tap-ins for par. It was 10-footers, 17-footers. I read the greens really well and had good speed on the greens.”
Ashleigh Buhai, who maintained a share of the lead across both days, was also pleased with her consistent play, despite Friday’s 68 being less stellar than her previous opening round of 63. The South African golfer, known for winning the 2022 Women’s British Open, mentioned, “It’s always difficult to follow a low one, but I’m pretty happy how I played today.”
At 12-under, Minjee Lee finished closely behind after her morning round of 65. Known for her triumph at the 2019 edition of the tournament, Lee commented on her strategy, emphasizing the importance of being in the right position off the tee and striking effective iron shots into the greens.
With the temporary relocation of the tournament to El Caballero due to renovations at Wilshire, Yan Liu, who earned her place in the tie for fourth at 11-under after a 70, shared this position with Lauren Coughlin (67) and Miyu Yamashita (65).
Meanwhile, top-ranked Nelly Korda, grappling with a mid-round stumble involving a double bogey and subsequent bogey, recovered commendably to conclude Day 2 at 9-under with a score of 68. As she approaches her title defense at the upcoming Chevron Championship in Houston, Korda expressed satisfaction with her return to form in the latter half of the round.
Jeeno Thitikul, ranking second worldwide, kept pace with her score of 67, culminating at 9-under for the tournament. Defending champion Hannah Green concluded the day at 8-under after matching Korda’s score of 67. However, 16-year-old Californian Asterisk Talley, despite playing under a sponsor exemption, narrowly missed the cut at 69-72, following her notable second-place finish at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur.