Carlota Ciganda of Spain shot a 7-under-par 63 and tied Lindy Duncan and South Korea’s Hye-Jin Choi for the lead after the second round of The Annika on Friday in Belleair, Fla.
Ciganda started her round on the back nine at Pelican Golf Club and collected three birdies before a bogey at No. 2. She finished strong, however, with birdies on the final four holes and five of her last six.
That moved her to 12-under 128, where she finished the day alongside Duncan (67) and Choi (67). They hold a two-shot lead over Japan’s Mao Saigo (65) and Minami Katsu (69). Katsu started the day tied for the lead with Choi.
“I played really well, hitting lots (of) fairways, lots of greens,” Ciganda said. “And then, yeah, the last four holes I think my putting, the speed was really good.”
Ciganda, 36, has all but secured her spot in next week’s season-ending CME Group Tour Championship, which is limited to the top 60 players on the Race to the CME Globe points list. She entered the week 50th in the standings but is projected to climb to No. 23 if current results hold.
“I’m not thinking too much about the result,” said Ciganda, who has three LPGA Tour wins. “Just trying to hit my spots, my targets. We have a good plan with my caddie, and just follow the strategy. Yeah, just to hit those targets every time, be present, and then see what happens.”
Duncan, who opened with a 62 that included a hole-in-one, remains in a strong position to qualify for next week’s finale. She entered the week 74th in points and is projected to climb to No. 35 if current results hold.
“(I) hope to continue to keep getting better,” said Duncan, who is seeking her first tour win. “That’s what I’ve kind of always tried to do. Sometimes you work really hard but you’re not quite working on the right thing so momentum is sort of not on your side.
“But if you keep working on the right things and the game comes around, it’s a great feeling.”
Duncan had six birdies and two bogeys Friday, while Choi’s round unfolded differently. She opened with consecutive bogeys at Nos. 10-11, and after a birdie at the par-3 12th, gave the stroke back with a bogey at the par-5 14th.
Choi finished with three more birdies and an eagle at the par-5 seventh.
“I have two rounds left, but I have recently played in a champion group on the tournament before, so I have that experience and I’m going just try my best and concentrate on my game like two rounds,” Choi said.
Tied for sixth at 9 under are Mexico’s Gaby Lopez (63 Friday), Spain’s Julia Lopez Ramirez (67) and South Korea’s Ina Yoon (67).
World No. 1 Nelly Korda followed an opening-round 63 with a 1-under 69 Friday, making 17 pars and one birdie at No. 7. At 8 under, she is tied for ninth with Japan’s Yuri Yoshida (66).
“I had a lot of chances. I just like struggled a little on the greens,” Korda said. “And it’s not because I was hitting bad putts. I actually wasn’t hitting bad putts.
“But you can just tell that from yesterday morning to today afternoon with the wind, that’s what the defense of this golf course is. The greens get kind of icy. It’s as fast as Bermuda as I’ve putted on throughout my career, like last year and the year before. So the defense of this place is just the undulation and how fast the greens get.”
The cut line fell at 1 under par. Angel Yin entered the week 58th in the points race, but after missing the cut at 1 over, she is projected to fall to 62nd and miss the finale.
–Field Level Media
