Thothong in Solo First after Dominating Day

HOUSTON- Megan Thothong of Dallas shot a 5-under 67 and sits solely atop the leaderboard at 7-under for the tournament after round two play at the Women’s Stroke Play Championship.

Thothong’s continued dominance did not come easy despite her impressive score. The first 15 holes of her round seemed to be going according to plan but then a heavy rain shower hit Pine Forest Country Club while Thothong was playing the par-3 16th. She was undeterred.

“I stayed really patient which was really good,” Thothong said. “My longer irons weren’t as sharp as I would have liked them to be but I shot a 67 so I can’t complain.”

Thothong began the day sitting at 2-under in a three-way tie for the lead. She said her putting during round one needed to improve. Now at 7-under with a three shot lead over the field, Thothong said she thinks her putting is back.

“My putting was better today so that helped a lot. I felt really comfortable on the greens over the ball,” Thothong said.

It could have helped that Thothong was playing with her new teammate, Allie Anderson of The Woodlands. Anderson is transferring to the University of Houston this season from Colorado State University. It seemed the team chemistry was already clicking as both players are inside the top five. Anderson was even par on the day and 2-under for the tournament.

Despite Thothong’s three shot lead, there are several players within striking distance. Right behind Thothong is Sugarland’s Amber Wang who plays at Princeton.

Wang started the day at even par. She was just 1-under making the turn to the back nine and then piled on the birdies from there. She is now in solo second at 4-under for the tournament.

“Yesterday I had a lot of birdies and a lot of bogeys. I knew I could shoot low it was just a matter of getting rid of all of those mistakes,” Wang said. “Today I just was a lot more consistent and I knew that if I just kept on hitting consistent shots it would just come together.”

Wang and Thothong were fortunate enough to complete their rounds before play was suspended by lightning. Play stopped at 12:53 p.m. and resumed 85 minutes later at 2:17 p.m. It was smooth sailing from there despite the low hanging dark clouds that lingered over the course.

At the end of round two, 31 players made the championship flight to compete for the title in round three.

Wang is excited for the chance to play for the title and said winning would mean a lot to her since she is playing in her home state of Texas.  

“I haven’t been home in a long time and just being away and coming back home to Texas and winning in my home state would be great,” Wang said.

Wang and Thothong will be paired together for the championship round and will tee off at 8 a.m.   

Throughout the tournament, the Women’s TGA will continue to celebrate 100 years of their service. The Breaking 100 campaign highlights this important milestone. The program includes many fundraising activities including the “100 Holes of Women’s Competition”. Players have the opportunity to raise funds for the TGA Foundation’s Women’s Initiatives by pledging to play 100 holes of competitive golf in 2016.
 
One player who took the pledge added 18 more holes to her total after today’s round. Karen Northcutt has now done 36 out of her 100 pledged holes. She shot a 14-over 83 today.
 
If you would like to contribute to the Breaking 100 campaign you can do so by visiting TexasBreaking100.org. You can also follow the WTGA on Instagram and Twitter (@WTGA1916) to keep up-to-date with the celebrations.
 
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