After Rain-Soaked Friday and Restart Sei Young Kim on Top in Boston

Sei Young Kim approaches the 16th green at the FM Championship

Sei Young Kim approaches the 16th green at the FM Championship

Photo courtesy:

Getty & LPGA Media

Miranda Wang's second round at the FM Championship stretched into an endurance test—ten hours, three rain delays, and one final putt just to close the book. When play stopped, she sat at 11-under, the leader on paper, though the scoreboard still carried the weight of Sei Young Kim's DNF.

Kim showed up this morning like someone who'd been ready all night. Like she played screen golf with her friends and had some Chamisul for good measure. Eagle at the 2nd, birdie-birdie on 3 and 4, and just like that she took the lead away with another 65. It felt like the only way this fractured, stop-and-start round could end—jagged, a little surreal. I'm left drifting, wondering what on earth happened to Nelly Korda?

Even now, I'm trying to make sense of what we saw on TPC Boston's 4th hole. A 298-yard par 4, wind swirling, where the hope and hubris of below-average golfers like me go to die. I'm going to go Midwestern here, but for Pete's sake, Corpuz, A Lim Kim, and Thompson all walked off with double bogeys there?!

The day belonged to the weather—of course it did. I should know better by now, after so many nights in the Boundary Waters, listening to wind howl and rain drum against a tarp while swaying in a hammock. You respect the weather, or it will cut you down. And on this day, the weather owned as much of the story as the golf itself. Players went out beneath heavy gray skies, only to be chased back by rolling thunderstorms. By the time the last horn blew at 7:15 p.m., the round was swallowed by darkness, with 72 players still on the course.

At 7 a.m. they picked up where they left off, closing out the second round before rolling into the third at 12:30. Which leaves us asking: what went down?

Jeeno Thitikul, the world's No. 1, also endured the stop-start pace. She sprinted down the ninth fairway with Green and defending champion Lauren Coughlin as dark clouds rolled in, hoping to beat the next horn. The Thai star finished with a 68, highlighted by four birdies on the back nine. Coughlin walked off with a 73, having double bogeyed the 17th.

We've mentioned her before, but Hannah Green—trying to shake off four straight missed cuts—finally found some rhythm as the thunder rolled. She rattled off five birdies to card a second-round 68, vaulting herself into contention at eight under.

Meanwhile, Sweden's Madelene Sagstrom—maybe right at home in wind and driving rain—stayed in the hunt with a steady putting stroke, six birdies, and a flawless 66. A strong bounce-back after the double bogey on the 2nd hole yesterday.

Finally, Rose Zhang showed the kind of calm, mature play you wouldn't expect from someone just 22. She racked up eight birdies, avoided a single bogey, and positioned herself in solo third at ten under. If she can keep that composure, the rest of the weekend could see her pressing Sei Young and contending for the win.

With the forecast calling for clearer skies, both tournament officials and players are optimistic about getting the schedule back on track for Saturday and Sunday. The main adjustment: after the cut, players will tee off in threesomes for Round 3.

At the time of this article posting, the cut has been set and Round 3 is underway.

Round 2 Competition Highlights

See Above

Shout Out

To the Tournament Officials and Players for pressing on regardless.

Gear Notes

In the future, for moments like these you can bust out a DrizzleStik or "Drizzy" as Marie and I call it.

Round 2 Shoot Your Shot

Eagles

Hole 2 - Sei Young Kim
Hole 7 - Julia Lopez Ramirez

Leaderboard and Cut Makers After Round 2

PositionPlayerTo ParScoresTotal
1Sei Young Kim-1465-65130
2Miranda Wang-1166-67133
3Rose Zhang-1070-64134
4Madelene Sagstrom-969-66135
T5Celine Borge-870-66136
T5Azahara Munoz-868-68136
T5Hannah Green-868-68136
T5Andrea Lee-867-69136
T9Rio Takeda-771-66137
T9Yan Liu-771-66137
T9Miyu Yamashita-771-66137
T9Jeongeun Lee6-770-67137
T9Ayaka Furue-770-67137
T9Jeeno Thitikul-769-68137
T9Nelly Korda-767-70137
T9Jodi Ewart Shadoff-765-72137
T17Nasa Hataoka-673-65138
T17Chisato Iwai-670-68138
T17Hye-Jin Choi-670-68138
T17Haeran Ryu-669-69138
T17Aditi Ashok-668-70138
T17Caley McGinty-668-70138
T17Minjee Lee-667-71138
T17Celine Boutier-667-71138
T25Brooke M. Henderson-571-68139
T25Kumkang Park-571-68139
T25Bianca Pagdanganan-569-70139
T25Jin Hee Im-568-71139
T25Madison Young-567-72139
T25Allisen Corpuz-565-74139
T31Brooke Matthews-474-66140
T31Lottie Woad-473-67140
T31Amanda Doherty-471-69140
T31Saki Baba-471-69140
T31Jeongeun Lee5-471-69140
T31Megan Khang-471-69140
T31A Lim Kim-471-69140
T31Lauren Morris-469-71140
T31Polly Mack #-469-71140
T31Gaby Lopez-469-71140
T41Ariya Jutanugarn-374-67141
T41Soo Bin Joo-373-68141
T41Ingrid Lindblad-373-68141
T41Wei-Ling Hsu-372-69141
T41Sung Hyun Park-372-69141
T41Julia Lopez Ramirez-372-69141
T41Pornanong Phatlum-371-70141
T41Nanna Koerstz Madsen-371-70141
T41Auston Kim-371-70141
T41Lexi Thompson-371-70141
T41Akie Iwai-370-71141
T41Jenny Bae-369-72141
T41Mirim Lee-368-73141
T41Gurleen Kaur #-367-74141
T41Weiwei Zhang-367-74141
T56Angel Yin-274-68142
T56Nataliya Guseva-273-69142
T56Muni He-273-69142
T56Caroline Masson-273-69142
T56Jin Young Ko-272-70142
T56Jenny Shin-272-70142
T56Megha Ganne (a) *-272-70142
T56Ina Yoon-272-70142
T56Yahui Zhang-272-70142
T56Minami Katsu-271-71142
T56Cassie Porter-271-71142
T56Gabriela Ruffels-271-71142
T56Mao Saigo-271-71142
T56Gemma Dryburgh-270-72142
T56Linn Grant-270-72142
T56Dewi Weber-270-72142
T56Mi Hyang Lee-269-73142
T56Yu Liu-269-73142
T56Lauren Coughlin-269-73142

If something here made you laugh, smile, or throw your ball into the nearest water hazard, you can reach out at george@birdiebriefing.com.