Coates Golf Championship 2nd Round Highlights (Video)

Jul 21, 2013; Toledo, OH, USA; Paula Creamer tees off from the 11th hole during the final round of the Marathon Classic at Highland Meadows Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

What a day it was at The Golden Ocala Golf and Equestrian Club! First there was a frost delay and cold early start to complete the first round of the Coates Golf Championship, then Paula Creamer’s Ace on the 6th, complete with a dance and a little shimmy punctuated the day nicely, then another round ending incomplete as darkness overtook half the field. Fifty players will pick it up early tomorrow morning, facing the unlikely possibility of catching rookie Ha Na Jang who’s sitting comfortably on the top of the board, presumably going into moving day with a 4-shot lead over America’s top golfer!

Paula Creamer’s Ace

Creamer’s response to her par-3 6th hole Ace today wasn’t quite as dramatic as her ecstatic turf-pounding that followed her 75-yard birdie putt last year at the HSBC Women’s Champions, but it was a shot that clearly brought her joy.

Creamer used a 6-iron to hole out on the 162 yard replica of Augusta National’s 16th hole, which moved her to three-under for the round. She gave back one of those strokes with a bogey on the 7th, but finished today’s round at two-under and with a starting round of even par, she’ll go into the weekend with a slight edge but with some distance to travel if she hopes to get onto the front page of the leaderboard by Sunday afternoon.

Slow Start, Tricky Greens

Stacy Lewis, Jessica Korda and Azahara Munoz had shared the 1st round overnight lead at six-under par and started the 2nd round nicely positioned to dominate the field. None of them was likely worrying about Ha Na Jang, the rookie who played her way into the tournament at the Monday qualifier, although in retrospect they should have watched their backs. Lewis picked up two shots today and Munoz picked up one, but Korda stalled out at even par.

Ha Na Jang. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports

It was Ha Na Jang who did the traveling today. The 2013 KLPGA Player of the Year who’d finished T3 at the 2014 Evian Championship proved today that she’s ready to claim her space on golf’s big stage. Jang was slamming her tee shots an average of 264 yards and made her way around the Golden Ocala track with an economical 26 putts, ending her day with an impressive 7-under par 65, a very tidy follow-up to her first round 67.

The greens are just so tricky, there’s not a lot of hole locations on a couple of the greens, you have to hit it to the right spot. . . -Stacy Lewis

Lewis, who carded 70 today and will start the weekend in solo 2nd place and trailing Jang by 4 shots, was a bit shorter off the tee and needed an unusual 31 putts to get through the round. Still, Stacy Lewis is right where she likes to be going into moving day and I’m looking for Lewis to do just that.

Still, Lewis doesn’t have a secure position on the board and she will also need to be watching her back. Lydia Ko, Azahara Munoz, Angela Stanford and Austin Ernst are going into moving day trailing Lewis by one shot and sharing 3rd place.

We’ve seen what Ko can do with a come-from-behind position. She could easily move to the top of the Rolex rankings this week and she’s playing golf like she’s ready for that record-setting move. With rounds of 68 and 69 and a hot flat stick, Ko seems to have solid command of her game and the playing field.

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Munoz is playing a solid game, if a bit less authoritatively than Ko, and Stanford and Ernst still need to complete their 1st round, so their positions going into the 3rd won’t firm up until they finish what they started on Thursday.

Jessica Korda shot even par today and has dropped down the board to T7th, alongside Na Yeon Choi and trailing Jang’s lead by 6 strokes.

Notable Cuts

Although the 2nd round’s not completed, working with the projected cut line of +5, Suzanne Pettersen’s not likely to play the weekend, nor are Morgan Pressel and Mika Miyazato. Chella Choi, with 2 holes remaining, will need to fire off a birdie to pull herself over the cut line and Julieta Granada, also with 2 holes remaining, needs to pick up two shots if she hopes to get a check this week.

Looking Toward Moving Day

Looking back, this day at the Coates Golf Championship belonged to Ha Na Jang. Playing in the afternoon wave, Jang followed her first round 67 with a hot 65, 4 strokes better than everyone else who finished the 2nd round on Thursday. She hit four approaches inside three feet and she drained a 25 foot putt on the 18th hole in the dwindling afternoon light. But will she be able to stay out in front of a hungry pack that’s led by Stacy Lewis when play begins tomorrow?

With 36 holes of golf still to be played, just about anything can happen, but I’m looking for steady championship golf from both Stacy Lewis and Lydia Ko. Inbee Park, who’s starting the weekend at two-over par, probably isn’t going to figure in this week’s winning equation, but Lexi Thompson, who’s starting the 3rd round at 3-under and Michelle Wie, who’s starting tomorrow at 2-under, both have games in their bag that could overtake Lewis and Jang. They both know how to play patient golf and jump on opportunities to shave off a stroke here and there.

With 50 players needing to finish their 2nd round and another frost delay likely, the third round at the Coates Golf Championship will probably have a late start.

Golf Channel delayed coverage begins at 8pm ET Friday. Follow me on Twitter @bethbethel and I’ll provide updates throughout the round as they’re available.

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