After a rookie led the way through the first 18 holes of play, the top of the leaderboard following day two of the Florida’s Natural Charity Classic showed why experience is key when it comes to professional golf. Three players are tied at the top with 18 holes remaining, all of whom have experience playing on the LPGA Tour, and two of whom have captured a victory on the Epson Tour.
Ana Belac, Valery Plata and Kiira Riihijarvi all sit at 8-under for the tournament, with Riihijarvi and Plata sharing the round-of-the-day honors after both signed for a 6-under 66.
Riihijarvi nearly had a flawless Moving Day, making one bogey, five birdies and an eagle at the Country Club of Winter Haven. The Finland native made a scrappy birdie on 18 after driving her ball into a fairway bunker and making a 15-footer to share the lead through 36 holes, a familiar position for Riihijarvi. The 26-year-old made it to a playoff in last year’s Florida Natural Charity Classic before eventually falling to Agathe Laisne. The win would have been her second on the Epson Tour, as she had already captured a victory at the 2022 Ann Arbor’s Road to the LPGA powered by A2 Sports Commission.
“Honestly on the front nine, I struggled a little bit. I was kind of just keeping myself alive,” said Riihijarvi of her 66 on Saturday. “And then on nine, I had a good drive and made a good three, and I made a pretty long putt. So, I was like, okay, this is pretty good going into the back.”
Plata had a much more colorful scorecard than Riihijarvi, making two bogeys, six birdies and an eagle in her second round. The 2020 Big Ten Player of the Year finished T3 at 2022 LPGA Q-Series, earning the former Michigan State University Spartan LPGA Tour status for the 2023 season. To add to her LPGA Tour experience from her rookie year in 2023, Plata had made four appearances on the Tour as an amateur, two of which were in major championships. Now, the Colombian is looking to take home hardware for the first time as a professional but will have to outlast two players who already have an Epson Tour trophy on their shelf at home.
Belac rounds out the group tied at the top, playing in much more difficult conditions in the afternoon wave. The 2021 Carolina Golf Classic champion started her day off slow, recording a bogey on her second hole before finally making a birdie on hole eight. She played the next five holes in 4-under, a stretch that was highlighted by an eagle on the par 5 13th hole. Five pars to close out the day was good enough to keep a share of the lead, as the Slovenian ultimately signed for a 4-under 68.
“It was fun, you know? It's been a while since my name has been that high on the leaderboard, so it's definitely really fun to see that and to be able to make some birdies and eagles out there,” said Belac. “I'm just going to try to still play my own game like I did before, stick to my game plan and just try to enjoy the moment.”)
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