Rancho Mirage, California, United States: Thailand’s Patty Tavatanakit added a second round 69 to her opening 66 to stay atop the leaderboard, taking a one-shot lead into the weekend of the 2021 ANA Inspiration.
The LPGA Tour rookie, who holds a 36-hole lead for the first time in her career, is one shot clear of a chasing pack which includes eight Major champions at five-under or better.
China’s Feng Shanshan is in sole possession of second place on 136 with Thai Moriya Jutanugarn a further stroke back in third.
In joint fourth place on 138 are England’s Charley Hull and Swede Anna Nordqvist, while Koreans Park In-bee, Ko Jin-young and defending champion Mirim Lee are tied for sixth on 139 with New Zealander Lydia Ko and England’s Georgia Hall.
Despite only turning pro in 2019, this is Tavatanakit’s fourth time playing in the ANA Inspiration with the tournament’s tradition of inviting leading amateurs to play leaving her well prepared for this special 50th edition.
“I had an opportunity to play here when I was 17, and then got invited again when I was in college (at UCLA). Those rounds honestly gave me a lot of good experiences,” said Tavatanakit, a stalwart of the triumphant Asia-Pacific teams that defeated Europe in the Patsy Hankins Trophy in 2016 and 2018, prior to her turning professional.
Despite the attention she is receiving, the Thai, who shared 15th place in the inaugural Women’s Asia-Pacific Amateur in Singapore in 2018, is keeping her feet firmly on the ground.
“I’ll just keep doing what I’m doing, focusing on what’s important, what I can control out there. There is going to be a lot of challenges on the weekend and I’m ready to face it. It’s not going to be easy. If I am going to win it it’s going to be tough,” said Tavatanakit, a three-time winner on the Symetra Tour in 2019.
A total of 71 players made the cut at one-over-par, tying the record for the lowest cut in ANA Inspiration history, last recorded in 2018. The lone amateur in the field, 2020 Women’s British Amateur Champion Aline Krauter, will miss the weekend after finishing three-over overall.
