Grace Kim, Cassie Porter and Karis Davidson remain firmly in the mix to make the top 60 end-of-season Tour Championship after the second round of The ANNIKA.
But for Robyn Choi the dream of making a maiden appearance at the lucrative season-ending showpiece is over.
The 28-year-old's bold bid ended in despair when she missed the cut in the Belleair tournament on Friday (Saturday AEDT).
Needing a good finish at Pelican Golf Club to sneak into the 60, Choi was cruelled by an opening-round 73 that dropped her close to the bottom of the field.
The Sydneysider fought back with a one-under 69 that moved her up to No.63 in the CME race, but her 142 total missed the cut by three strokes and brought an end to her season.
Still, it was Choi's best year on the LPGA Tour, surpassing $1 million in prizemoney and rising to world No.104 after a tied-eighth finish at the Kroger Queen City Championship.
The scenario is different though for Kim (currently 49th in CME race), Porter (50th) and Davidson (57th).
Kim shot a three-under 67 to be tied 11th, while Porter moved up to joint 25th after firing the same number.
Davidson, however, headed in the wrong direction following her 68 with a one-over 71. But she made the cut on the line and is alive for the weekend, where she will be hoping for a strong finish.
There is a three-way tie at the top of the leaderboard with Spain's Carlota Ciganda posting a seven-under-par 63 to tie with Lindy Duncan (66) and South Korea's Hye-Jin Choi (67) at 12 under.
They hold a two-shot lead over Japan's Mao Saigo (65) and Minami Katsu (69). Katsu started the day tied for the lead with Choi.
"I played really well, hitting lots (of) fairways, lots of greens," Ciganda said.
"And then, yeah, the last four holes I think my putting, the speed was really good."
Ciganda, 36, has all but secured her spot for next week's Championship. She entered the week 50th in the standings, but is projected to climb to No.23 if current results hold.
"I'm not thinking too much about the result," said Ciganda, who has three LPGA Tour wins.
"Just trying to hit my spots, my targets. We have a good plan with my caddie and just follow the strategy."
Duncan, who opened with a 62 that included a hole-in-one, remains in a strong position to qualify for next week's finale. She entered the week 74th in points and is projected to climb to No.35 if she maintains her position.
"(I) hope to continue to keep getting better," said Duncan, who is seeking her first win on the Tour.
World No.1 Nelly Korda followed an opening-round 63 with a one-under 69, making 17 pars and one birdie at No.7. She is tied ninth with Japan's Yuri Yoshida (66).
With Reuters.
