Following a dramatic 11-for-10 playoff in which only one of the women who finished at 3 over was excluded from competition on Saturday, the field of 30 is set for Augusta National. And two of the biggest names in the field -- maybe the two biggest names in the field -- lead the way after 36 holes. Let's take a closer look at Round 2 of the 2019 Augusta National Women's Amateur.
Familiar leader in Kupcho: It was more of the same from reigning NCAA champion Jennifer Kupcho, who led with a 68 on Wednesday and followed it with a 1-under 71 on Friday to take a one-stroke lead at 5 under over Maria Fassi. Kupcho has made just two bogeys through 36 holes and held steady on a day when scoring conditions got even tougher.
Jennifer Kupcho birdies the eleventh to take solo lead of #ANWAgolf
— Augusta National Women's Amateur (@anwagolf) April 4, 2019
Live Leader Board at https://t.co/mRzvotXbgt pic.twitter.com/HY4dhaKMha
Fassi, on the other hand, rode a roller coaster to her 2-under 70. She is not a fan of pars. Five birdies and an eagle were offset by five bogeys, which led to the 70 -- the same score she shot in Round 1. Those two are trailed by a trio at 3 under and then just two other golfers under par after two rounds.
Difficult scoring day at the top: On Wednesday, there were 14 women under par following the first round. On Thursday there were just 11 women under par, but there were fewer rounds in the 80s and the cut line only dropped one stroke from 2 over to 3 over. That tells me that nerves were a big factor at the bottom of the field on Wednesday and that everyone seemed to level out a little bit as the tournament continued on Thursday. I can't imagine what that feeling is going to be like on Saturday when they tee it up at the National.
Tough playoff ending: In a playoff featuring the bottom 11 golfers of the top 30 contending for 10 tee times at Augusta National on Saturday, nine of them made pars in the first sudden-death hole. The two that didn't -- Ainhoa Olarra and Alessia Nobilio -- moved on to a second playoff hole, which Olarra birdied to move on into the weekend. It was a tough watch at the end given just how much was at stake on a single hole. It was also a thrill for Olarra.
Ainhoa Olarra talks about the birdie putt that has her in the final round of the #ANWAgolf at Augusta National. pic.twitter.com/5yg7CLDfDO
— Augusta National Women's Amateur (@anwagolf) April 4, 2019
Practice round Friday: Round 3 won't take place until Saturday morning when yours truly will be there to cover it. On Friday, all 72 participants will get 18 holes of practice at Augusta National before the bottom 42 have to say farewell to their fellow competitors. The 30 that remain will go one more round to determine the first ever champion of this tournament.