US FUTURES TOUR REPORT, SCORES

Rachel Connor (73) keeping cool ... you

can't expect to shoot 61 every day!

DECATUR, Illinois: It’s a crowded leaderboard heading into the weekend in this year’s $125,000 Tate and Lyle Players Championship at Hickory Point Golf Club with Illinois native Carrie Riordan hanging on at the top.
A rookie this season on the Duramed Futures Tour, Riordan carded a career-best score of 5-under 65 to take a one-shot lead at 7-under 133 after two rounds.
“I was pumped about coming home to my state to play and this round feels good,” said Riordan, 23, of Spring Valley, Ill. “This is the kind of course that I grew up on.”
With her older brother, Cory, on her bag as caddie this week, Riordan toured the front nine at 3-under-par 31 with working-woman birdie putts from 35 feet, 20 feet and 12 feet. On the back nine, Riordan continued her bogey-free round with two more birdies – this time from lengths of 20 feet on the 14th and 15 feet on the 17th hole.
“My brother was confident, so it helped me,” said Riordan, a 2009 graduate of Eastern Illinois University, who needed only 26 putts in today’s second round.
But Riordan knows there’s no relaxing as she heads into Saturday’s third round. Six players are right on her heels and tied for second at 6-under 134.
Headlining that group is the Tour’s top-ranked player, Cindy LaCrosse of Tampa, Fla., who carded a 4-under 66 today, and veteran professional Pornanong Phatlum of Chaiyaphum, Thailand, who turned in the day’s best round at 7-under 63 – jumping up the leaderboard from a tie for 61st into a tie for second. A 14-time winner in Asia as a pro, Phatlum also tied the Decatur tournament record with her nine-hole score of 29 on the front nine. It was a round in which she hit 15 greens in regulation and rolled in 26 putts.
“Today, I had a lot of shots within 110 yards of the green, so if I can do that, I can score well,” said the experienced Thai professional, playing in her second season in the United States. “I feel more comfortable here, and this year, I know the golf courses.”
Rounding out the bottleneck for second at 6-under 134 was Jenny Shin (69) of Torrance, Calif., amateur Sammi Sloan (67) of Lansing, Ill., Esther Choe (68) of Scottsdale, Ariz., and first-round leader Rachel Connor of Manchester, England, whose opening round of 61 was followed by a 3-over-par round of 73 today.
“Yesterday, everything went in and today, I missed greens, fairways and putts,” said Connor, pictured above by Cal Carson Golf Agency. “But I kept my cool. You can’t expect to shoot 61 every day.”
LaCrosse also maintained her cool in today’s round with five birdies and one bogey. The former University of Louisville All-American hit 16 greens in regulation and focused on one goal.
“I wanted to get closer to the lead,” said LaCrosse, who has six top-10 finishes in eight events this season, including one win. “We have two more days and another half of the tournament to play, so in a 72-hole event, you can make a few mistakes.”
Two shots off the lead at 5-under 135 is the foursome of Jenny Suh (66) of Fairfax, Va., Tzu-Chi Lin (66) of Taichung, Taiwan, Jane Rah (68) of Torrance, Calif., and first-week rookie professional Jennifer Song (67) of Ann Arbor, Michigan, who was playing on the U.S. Curtis Cup team last week this time.
The 2009 U.S. Women’s Amateur champion’s round included six birdies and a three-putt, triple-bogey hiccup on the 12th hole that was the only blemish on her scorecard.
“That was a real ruh-roh,” laughed Song, a two-time All-American at the University of Southern California. “After that hole, I told myself there’s plenty of golf to play. I could have been angry, but I told myself to get over it.”
And she did. Song answered the triple with three birdies in her last six holes, reminding her peers that she might be a rookie, but she came to play.
A total of 59 players posted rounds of even-par 140 or better after two rounds, with 43 players finishing the day under par on the 6,219-yard floodwater-adjusted course. Hickory Point normally plays as a par-72 course, but heavy rains and flash flooding earlier in the week caused tournament organizers to shorten a flooded par-5 hole into a par 3, making the course play to par 70 this week.
Seventy-eight players made the 36-hole cut at 141 (+1).
Former Curtis Cup team player and University of Mexico stand-out Jodi Ewart from Yorkshire missed her first cut as a tour professional.
Weather: Mostly sunny and humid with temperatures near 90 degrees and wind between 13-15 mph.
SECOND-ROUND TOTALS
Par 140 (2x70). Yardage: 6,219
1 Carrie Riordan (Spring Valley, Ill.) 68-65 - 133
2 Rachel Connor (Manchester, England) 61-73 - 134
Cindy LaCrosse (Tampa, Fla.) 68-66 - 134
Sammi Sloan (a) (Lansing, Ill.) 67-67 - 134
Jenny Shin (Torrance, Calif.) 65-69 - 134
Esther Choe (Scottsdale, Ariz.) 66-68 - 134
Pornanong Phatlum (Chaiyaphum, Thailand) 71-63 - 134
8 Jenny Suh (Fairfax, Va.) 69-66 - 135
Tzu-Chi Lin (Taichung, Taiwan) 69-66 - 135
Jennifer Song (Ann Arbor, Mich.) 68-67 - 135
Jane Rah (Torrance, Calif.) 67-68 - 135
12 Mo Martin (Altadena, Calif.) 69-67 - 136
Dori Carter (Valdosta, Ga.) 69-67 - 136
Kathleen Ekey (Sharon Township, Ohio) 68-68 - 136
Marcela Leon (Monterrey, Mexico) 70-66 - 136
Veronica Felibert (Caracas, Venezuela) 69-67 - 136
Tiffany Tavee (Tempe, Ariz.) 69-67 - 136
Caroline Westrup (Ahus, Sweden) 69-67 - 136
Lauren Hunt (Little River, S.C.) 68-68 - 136


20 Isabelle Beisiegel (St. Hilaire, Quebec) 72-65 - 137
Gerina Mendoza (Roswell, N.M.) 72-65 - 137
Hannah Jun (San Diego, Calif.) 70-67 - 137
Carolina Llano (Medellin, Colombia) 69-68 - 137
Hannah Yun (Bradenton, Fla.) 70-67 - 137
Kitty Hwang (Guayaquil, Ecuador) 69-68 - 137
Jennie Lee (Henderson, Nev.) 68-69 - 137


27 Laura Bavaird (Grosse Ile, Mich.) 68-70 - 138
Paola Moreno (Cali, Colombia) 72-66 - 138
Danah Ford Bordner (Indianapolis, Ind.) 70-68 - 138
Malinda Johnson (Eau Claire, Wis.) 68-70 - 138
Cathryn Bristow (Auckland, New Zealand) 70-68 - 138
Kylene Pulley (Kokomo, Ind.) 70-68 - 138


33 Tiffany Joh (San Diego, Calif.) 68-71 - 139
Christine Song (Fullerton, Calif.) 69-70 - 139
Tara Goedeken (Dodge City, Kan.) 67-72 - 139
Hanna Kang (Seoul, South Korea) 69-70 - 139
Kelly Froelich (Raizeux, France) 70-69 - 139
Julia Potter (Granger, Ind.) 70-69 - 139
Jasi Acharya (Columbus, Mont.) 69-70 - 139
Garrett Phillips (St. Simons Island, Ga.) 69-70 - 139
Victoria Elizabeth (Dayton, Ohio) 71-68 - 139
Sofie Andersson (Angelholm, Sweden) 70-69 - 139
Lene Krog (Lier, Norway) 71-68 - 139


44 Dewi Claire Schreefel (Diepenveen, Netherland 71-69 - 140
Seul Ki Park (Northbrook, Ill.) 72-68 - 140
Nannette Hill (Pelham, N.Y.) 68-72 - 140
Jamie Hullett (Mesquite, Texas) 71-69 - 140
Jessica Shepley (Oakville, Ontario) 71-69 - 140
Ashley Prange (Noblesville, Ind.) 73-67 - 140
Leanne Bowditch (Queensland, Australia) 71-69 - 140
Jessi Gebhardt (Chandler, Ariz.) 69-71 - 140
Chelsea Curtis (New Seabury, Mass.) 65-75 - 140
Carling Coffing (Middletown, Ohio) 71-69 - 140
Seema Sadekar (Toronto, Ontario) 69-71 - 140
Alison Walshe (Westford, Mass.) 70-70 - 140
Blair Lamb (Flat Rock, N.C.) 71-69 - 140
Ryann O'Toole (San Clemente, Calif.) 71-69 - 140
Elisa Serramia (Barcelona, Spain) 66-74 - 140
Briana Vega (Andover, Mass.) 71-69 - 140


60 Amanda Mathis (Picayune, Miss.) 67-74 - 141
Whitney Myers (York, Pa.) 70-71 - 141
Camila Mori (Santiago, Chile) 70-71 - 141
Aimee Cho (Orlando, Fla.) 71-70 - 141
Laura Crawford (Lancaster, S.C.) 71-70 - 141
Susan Nam (Edmonton, Alberta) 73-68 - 141
Michaela Cavener (Ponca City, Okla.) 73-68 - 141
Tracy Stanford (Midland, Texas) 72-69 - 141
Perry Swenson Livonius (Charlotte, N.C.) 72-69 - 141
Juli Erekson (Chicopee, Mass.) 72-69 - 141
Wannasiri Sirisampant (Bangkok, Thailand) 70-71 - 141
Lindsey Bergeon (Sarasota, Fla.) 72-69 - 141
Lucy Nunn (Lawton, Okla.) 71-70 - 141
Ayaka Kaneko (Honolulu, Hawaii) 72-69 - 141
Angela Oh (Maple Shade, N.J.) 70-71 - 141
Virada Nirapathpongporn (Bangkok, Thailand) 71-70 - 141
Min Seo Kwak (Seoul, South Korea) 68-73 - 141
Lehua Wise (Kauai, Hawaii) 73-68 - 141
Julie Wells-Shenfield (Wilsonville, Ore.) 70-71 - 141
MISSED THE CUT
Angela Buzminski (Oshawa, Ontario) 70-72 - 142
Y. J. Jin (Seoul, South Korea) 72-70 - 142
Yoora Kim (Seoul, South Korea) 70-72 - 142
Shasta Averyhardt (Flint, Mich.) 72-70 - 142
Sae Hee Son (Seoul, South Korea) 73-69 - 142
Jenny Lee (Simi Valley, Calif.) 72-70 - 142
Kim Augusta (Rumford, R.I.) 70-72 - 142
Miriam Nagl (Berlin, Germany) 73-69 - 142
Hana Kim (Los Angeles, Calif.) 71-71 - 142
Jenny Gleason (Clearwater, Fla.) 71-71 - 142
Kendall Dye (Edmond, Okla.) 69-73 - 142
Kelly Lagedrost (Brooksville, Fla.) 72-70 - 142
Sarah Brown (Lopatcong, N.J.) 73-70 - 143
Sydney Cox (Edmond, Okla.) 75-68 - 143
Christi Cano (San Antonio, Texas) 71-72 - 143
Jennifer Ackerson (Dallas, Texas) 73-70 - 143
Whitney Wade (Glasgow, Ky.) 71-72 - 143
Jodi Ewart (North Yorkshire, England) 69-74 - 143
Eileen Vargas (Ibague, Colombia) 69-74 - 143
Nicole Smith (Riverside, Calif.) 73-70 - 143
Lauren Doughtie (Suffolk, Va.) 73-70 - 143
Heather Burgner (Lakeland, Fla.) 73-70 - 143
Nontaya Srisawang (Chiang Mai, Thailand) 73-71 - 144
Melissa Eaton (Port Shepstone, South Africa) 73-71 - 144
Ai-Chen Kuo (Luzhou City, Taiwan) 72-72 - 144
Bree Arthur (Brisbane, Australia) 70-74 - 144
Rachel Bailey (Faulconbridge, Australia) 75-69 - 144
Lisa Ferrero (Lodi, Calif.) 74-70 - 144
Susannah Aboff (Huntington, N.Y.) 73-71 - 144
Selanee Henderson (Apple Valley, Calif.) 71-73 - 144
Lili Alvarez (Durango, Mexico) 74-70 - 144
Sarah Olsen (Grosse Ile, Mich.) 73-71 - 144
Chelsea Schriewer (St. Louis, Mo.) 72-72 - 144
Libby Smith (Essex Junction, Vt.) 70-74 - 144
Caroline Larsson (Stockholm, Sweden) 76-68 - 144
Stephanie George (Myerstown, Pa.) 75-69 - 144
Kristen Simpson (Norfolk, Va.) 73-72 - 145
Marina Choi (Los Angeles, Calif.) 73-72 - 145
Kirby Dreher (Fort St. John, Canada) 72-73 - 145
Amanda Costner (Claremore, Okla.) 72-73 - 145
Salimah Mussani (Burlington, Ontario) 73-72 - 145
Rachel Larson (Longmont, Colo.) 73-72 - 145
Janell Howland (Boise, Idaho) 74-71 - 145
Simone DeSouza (Trujillo, Peru) 74-71 - 145
Janice Olivencia (Caguas, Puerto Rico) 73-72 - 145
Carmen Bandea (Atlanta, Ga.) 74-71 - 145
Tanya Dergal (Durango, Mexico) 70-75 - 145
Pamela Ontiveros (Gomez Palacio, Mexico) 70-75 - 145
Marlowe Boukis (Lutherville, Md.) 72-73 - 145
Inhong Lim (a) (Seoul, South Korea) 73-72 - 145
Sam White (Potomac, Md.) 77-69 - 146
Taryn Durham (Glasgow, Ky.) 73-73 - 146
Kristina Langton (Ada, Mich.) 72-74 - 146
Daniela Iacobelli (Viera, Fla.) 74-73 - 147
Jackie Barenborg (Vero Beach, Fla.) 73-74 - 147
Danielle Mills (Pointe-Claire, Quebec) 74-73 - 147
Kaitlyn Wampler (a) (Bloomington, Ill.) 74-73 - 147
Jessy Tang (Daytona Beach, Fla.) 74-73 - 147
Sophia Sheridan (Guadalajara, Mexico) 73-74 - 147
Emma Calderone (Toronto, Ontario) 74-74 - 148
Natasha Krishna (Auckland, New Zealand) 73-75 - 148
Sophie Jang (Seoul, South Korea) 75-73 - 148
Hwanhee Lee (Las Vegas, Nev.) 77-71 - 148
Laura Kueny (Whitehall, Mich.) 74-74 - 148
Mayule Tomimbang (Kissimmee, Fla.) 76-73 - 149
Haley Gildea (East Greenwich, R.I.) 79-70 - 149
Heather Angell (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 74-75 - 149
Stephanie Connelly (Pasadena, Md.) 79-70 - 149
Erica Moston (Belmont, Calif.) 74-76 - 150
Maria Laura Elvira (Buenos Aires, Argentina) 75-75 - 150
Susanna Benavides (a) (Cochabamba, Bolivia) 78-72 - 150
Amelia Lewis (Jacksonville, Fla.) 76-74 - 150
Sara Hurwitch (Potomac Falls, Va.) 74-76 - 150
Jaclyn Burch (St. Louis, Mo.) 75-76 - 151
Christina Jones (Jensen Beach, Fla.) 79-73 - 152
Benedikte Grotvedt (Nesbru, Norway) 79-73 - 152
Shelley Anderson (Clarksville, Tenn.) 77-78 - 155
Kendra Hanson (Forest City, Iowa) WD