The second round of the highly competitive FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship saw a return to normal conditions, with the winds significantly dropping from round one. However, the Battle Creek Country Club maintained its challenge, with the low rounds of the day matching the low round from day one. Dana Fall, a consistent performer, once again claimed the top spot on the leaderboard after a stellar 5-under second round. She was closely followed by the round one leader, Anita Uwadia, who maintained her position with an even par round in her second 18 holes.
Fall maneuvered her way into the lead after a staggering back nine performance that saw the veteran shoot a 5-under 31 to close out her second round. The 31-year-old made six birdies in her last 11 holes to match the low score of the day and the tournament with a 5-under 67.
Being in contention is a spot where Fall has plenty of experience this year, finishing inside the top 6 in her last two starts. The veteran failed to convert the last time she held the lead heading into the final round, posting a 2-over 73 on the last day at the Carlisle Arizona Women's Golf Classic. Fall feels she has found out what she needs to do to capture her second career Epson Tour victory, but she is not going to tell anyone just yet.
"I think my game's definitely in a good spot. The last two days have been a little shaky. It's been a little scrappy, and I definitely have left some out there, but I obviously can't complain," said Fall. "I'm not going to give away any of my secrets, but it's been good to be in contention. I like being there and ready to capitalize on it."
Joining Fall in the final pairing is Anita Uwadia, who showed remarkable resilience in her second round. Despite a bogey on her third hole, the England native bounced back with an eagle putt on the par five 15th and a birdie on 17. This strong finish, turning at 2-under for the day and 7-under for the tournament, secured her a spot in the final pairing.
The back nine was steady until the fifth hole, where Uwadia would card a triple bogey, moving her out of the lead. She remained unfazed, making three more pars before heading to the reachable ninth hole. A birdie on the last hole was just what Uwadia needed to make her way into the final pairing for Sunday, and she is looking forward to being in the position she has been working for her whole career and learning from it.
"The putter definitely is still keeping me alive," said Uwadia. "It kept me alive a little bit more yesterday. It's my first time been in this position, so, you know, I just got to take it one shot at a time. I'm proud of myself for mentally sticking to it. We'll see how it goes tomorrow. I mean, again, I'm just learning, you know, it's just a learning curve. I'm just going to take every single shot and just learn from it."
ABOUT THE LEADER
Dana Fall carded a 5-under 67 in the second round of the FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship to lead the tournament by one shot at 6-under total
- Fall made six birdies and one bogey in her second round
- She shot a 5-under 31 on the back nine in round two
- The 31-year-old has made 110 LPGA Tour starts and 37 Epson Tour starts in her eight-year career
- Her T11 finish at the 2019 ShopRite LPGA Classic is her best career finish on the LPGA Tour
- She won the 2016 Dream First Bank Charity Classic on the Epson Tour
- Fall also has an additional 14 top-10 finishes on the Epson Tour
- Her last two starts have both resulted in a top-10 finish
- She is projected to move to No. 2 in the Race for the Card with a win at the FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship
THINGS TO KNOW
Anita Uwadia sits in solo second after an even-par second round
- She is 5-under for the tournament, rolling in eight birdies and an eagle over 36 holes
- Uwadia also has two bogeys and a triple bogey
- Her 5-under first round ties her lowest round of the season
- She shot 5-under in the final round of the 2024 Copper Rock Championship
- Uwadia has two career top-10 finishes on the Epson Tour, both coming during her 2022 season
- She finished No. 45 in the Race for the Card that season, her best career finish
- The England native has made four cuts in seven starts this season
- Her best finish is T16 at the Copper Rock Championship
Keera Foocharoen moves into the top 6 after a 4-under 68 in round two
- Foocharoen’s 4-under round was her best score of the season by two-shots
- She has made two cuts in her 2024 season
- Her last made cut came at the 2024 Atlantic Beach Classic
- The Thailand native is in her sophomore season on the Epson Tour
- Her best finish in 2023 came at Hartford HealthCare Women’s Championship where she finished T11
- Foocharoen finished No. 73 in the Race for the Card standings in 2023 and is currently No. 125 in 2024
QUICK QUOTES
Amelia Lewis (-4, T3) on her confidence after playing in the U.S. Women’s Open:
“I putted really well. I played last week at the U.S. Open, so I feel like any course is easy compared to that course. So, I just had birdies in mind today. I had six birdies, which was good. It's definitely a confidence builder to even be there. It's always great to qualify for the U.S. Open but I think it helped me really understand my game well, because that's the highest pressure that we experienced all year. So, under pressure, I saw my tendencies and I definitely grew from the week.”
Dorsey Addicks (-3, T6) on the difference between the first and second rounds:
“I mean, two totally different days. Yesterday it was like, just hold on to your hat and today it was a very nice, pleasant morning stroll. In terms of changing your game, you're adjusting for wind a lot more yesterday, but I was hitting the ball really well, so it wasn't really much adjustment. They put a lot of tough pins out there today, a lot of back pins. So, you felt like it was scoreable with no wind, but at the same time, you felt like you couldn't attack as much on some of the pins.”
Keera Foocharoen (-3, T6) on the start of her season and her mindset heading into this week:
“I just started to go shot by shot this week. I have not been doing very well to start this year, but I just know I have to keep going because the season just started. So, I just hung in there and took it one shot at a time. I had a volunteer caddy today and he was super nice and helpful, and I am just going to stay happy and play my game.”
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