Three's a party and four's a crowd, but five share the lead after the second round of the 2024 Dow Championship
By Annie Watson
MIDLAND, Mich. – Following the first four-ball round of the 2024 Dow Championship, five teams share the lead at 12-under-par, and 16 more teams are within three shots of the lead.
Among the co-leaders, they share a total of nine LPGA Tour wins, six of which come from one team: Jennifer Kupcho and Ally Ewing. Two groups include golfers who turned have turned pro in the past two years: Grace Kim (2023 rookie) and Auston Kim (2024 rookie), and Chanattee Wannasaen and Jaravee Boonchant (both 2023 rookies).
However, none of those groups shot the lowest round today. The Danish duo Nanna Koerstz Madsen and Nicole Broch Estrup shot a 60 in today’s four-ball format, two shots behind the course record of 58.
“We did really well in not birdieing the same holes,” Broch Estrup said. “Obviously we had one bogey, which was not ideal, but we came back strong with two birdies.”
The Danish golfers have followed each other through the Ladies European Tour and the LPGA. Their knowledge of each other’s game was a major factor in their low second round.
“I just really like how you can take pressure off each other, so it's a lot more fun hitting all the shots because there's not a lot of anxiety out there,” Koerstz Madsen said.
Hours before the Danish duo finished their round, Australian golfer Grace Kim picked up her 7-iron to tee off a par-3 7th hole. Her partner Auston Kim’s first shot hit the green, landing 20 feet from the pin.
“I was obviously just trying to put it close,” Grace Kim said, “All I see is it kind of disappears.”
From Auston’s perspective, the shot was destined to be an ace. “Right when it came off the face it sounded so solid, and it took one really good bounce and crept in,” she said.
Team 2K played more aggressively in the first four-ball round, and the momentum was there prior to the ace. However, as Auston put it, “a lot of good come from that hole, courtesy of Grace.” The pair shot a 61 to finish off the second round.
Kupcho and Ewing, who started the second round T1, perform well historically in the Midwest. At the Meijer LPGA Classic in Grand Rapids two weeks ago, Ewing co-led with Grace Kim going into the weekend, and finished the tournament in solo fourth place. Two years ago, Kupcho won in Grand Rapids just a month before her victory at the Dow Championship, where she won with teammate Lizette Salas.
“I love Michigan in general, but I think coming back to a place that I've won before is also really special,” Kupcho said. “The golf course is really scorable. It's very comfortable for me, so I'm just excited to be back.”
