Paula Reto of South Africa and Amelia Lewis teamed up for a 9-under-par 61 on Thursday to take the 36-hole lead at the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational at Midland Country Club in Midland, Mich.
The tandem is atop the leaderboard at 14-under 126, one shot better than two pairings: Jodi Ewart Shadoff of England and Emma Talley (second-round 60), and Matilda Castren of Finland and Kelly Tan of Malaysia (63).
The 72-hole event features teams consisting of two players. Alternate shot is used during the first and third rounds, while the second and final rounds are played using a four-ball format.
Reto’s eagle 2 at the fifth hole was an early turning point.
“I hit a little shot to the right,” Reto said. “Everyone else was in the fairway. I was like, ‘It’s OK.’ I got a good little line open to the flag. I was, like, 10 yards. The wind was helping, so I hit one club less, and I hit it really strong, nice. OK, it’s going to be close, and then, bang, one hop and then in the hole.
“So I was like, ‘OK, this could be the start of the birdie train.'”
She was right: Seven of their eight total birdies came after that pivotal moment.
Reto won on the LPGA Tour for the first time last August at the Canadian Women’s Open. Lewis, meanwhile, is ranked No. 923 in the world, has played on and off since her rookie season in 2011 and is making just her second start of the year.
“It feels great,” Lewis said of leading a tournament. “I’ve been playing great golf all year, so it’s nice to see that up top and have a partner that’s been there before, too, kind of guiding me.”
Shadoff and Talley teamed up for 10 birdies and no bogeys, starting the round with a 6-under 29 on the back nine.
“We got on a roll really early on. We seemed to have birdies on opposite holes, so that really helps,” Shadoff said. “When we weren’t having such good holes, we were there for each other with pars or birdies. So it was a real team effort, I think.”
Castren and Tan led after Wednesday’s first round and are still in the mix after a bogey-free 63 with seven birdies. The duo finished runners-up at this event last year.
“I’m not, like, looking back into last year that much,” Castren said. “Obviously it’s a new year and new week for us on the same course, but just trying to play our best games.”
France’s Celine Boutier and Japan’s Yuka Saso shot a 63 to secure fourth place at 12 under. Celine Borge of Norway and Polly Mack of Germany (64) are fifth at 11 under.
Notable teams that missed the cut of 3 under par include Lexi Thompson and Canada’s Brooke M. Henderson (65 on Thursday, 2 under for the tournament) and Englishwomen Bronte Law and Mel Reid (63, 2 under).
–Field Level Media