Madelene Sagstrom and Rose Zhang, both with -13, are leading the Cognizant Founders Cup of the LPGA Tour after the second day. No one else has managed to reach double digits at the Upper Montclair Country Club in New Jersey, although the shadow of Nelly Korda (-9) is becoming longer and longer. The world’s number one handed in the best round of the day this Friday (66 strokes) and has already moved into third position, lurking, enlarging her figure in the rear-view mirror of the leaders.
It is true that Zhang and Sagstrom are not just any leaders. Both have won on the LPGA Tour, although they are not having the best season of their careers so far, placed around the 40th position of the Race to CME Globe. They will be tough to beat, but it is inevitable to label Korda as the big favourite given her spectacular streak of five consecutive victories. She is looking for the sixth this week and, for now, as Colonel Smith would say, the plans are going very well. She is one of the two players who has only made one bogey in the first two rounds.
Playing conditions in New Jersey were not easy on Friday. It was a bit windy, but above all the temperatures were a bit lower than usual at this time and there was some rain. Only eleven players managed to go under 70 strokes.
Carlota Ciganda (-3) was one of those who struggled in the second round. She handed in a card of 73 strokes, with two birdies and three bogeys. She lost positions in the ranking, although she is still well placed in the sixteenth place. Her long game was a bit more inconsistent, but if she showed something on Thursday, it’s that she can make a lot of birdies on this course. She is still in the fight in the tournament and she is going to try to prove it with another great weekend, like the one she signed recently at the Chevron Championship. She is just one stroke away from the top 10, although somewhat away from the lead.
The downside of the week has been for Azahara Muñoz (+10). She closed yesterday two days of golf to forget with a round of 79 strokes, with many problems from tee to green. It’s time to turn the page quickly and get ready for the next tournament.
Live results of the Cognizant Founders Cup 2024
