Only one player sits atop the leaderboard after 36-holes of the Guardian Championship. Maria Torres signed for a bogey-free, 6-under par second round. She’s now 10-under par on the week, two strokes ahead of the rest of the field. She credits staying in the moment for the low second round score.
“I was taking it one shot at a time,” said Torres. “I know that sounds really clichéd, but I was just thinking of the shot in front of me. I’m in my own zone.”
Instead of letting errors, like yesterday’s two bogeys, get to her head, Torres focuses on the here and now.
“I’ve been trying to be patient and enjoy the sport,” said Torres. “When things don’t go your way in this sport, it’s really hard to get in the zone and get rhythm. I play this sport to enjoy what I love about it.”
Finishing the second round tied for second place were Clariss Guce, Sierra Brooks, Dani Holmqvist and Grace Kim. The four are 8-under par going into the final round.
Guce, who shared the Saturday low round of 7-under, carded eight birdies on the day. She was 4-under through her first four holes and credits her putter with the low score.
“I just got really lucky at the start,” said Guce. “I made a few birdies in a row and ball striking was really good. My putter definitely came through most of the time today, so I really can’t complain.”
Brooks was happy to finally see her name near the top of the leaderboard, as she says her season has been a bit of a struggle up until now. The South Carolina native is happy to see her hard work pay off after signing for a bogey free, 7-under round.
“I felt like I played my game,” said Brooks. “This whole season has been a bit of a struggle for me. It was a matter of time before it started clicking, and today it did. It felt like I went out and played the golf I’m capable of.”
Holmqvist carded eight birdies on the day, two of which were consecutive on her turn from the front nine to the back. The Swede says her turn sparked some motivation to finish the round strong.
“I took advantage of the par-fives a little bit better than yesterday,” said Holmqvist. “It felt like we kept it going.”
Kim finds herself in contention once again this season after shooting 6-under on Saturday. The 2022 champion carded seven birdies on the day and says she had both a clearer mindset and better self-management than Friday’s first round.
“I feel quite relieved,” said Kim. “Another good round is always going to put you in a good position, and you have to fight for what you want, so I’m excited for tomorrow.”
A total of 66 players made the cut at even-par or better, including Auburn graduates Kaleigh Telfer (5-under) and Marta Sanz Barrio (4-under).
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