Andy DevaneyThey say team golf is a bit like ballroom dancing: elegant when it’s working, awkward when it’s not. At the 2025 Dow Championship, however, the only missteps were on the leaderboard, where Sarah Schmelzel and Albane Valenzuela two-stepped their way to a slender solo lead at 13-under-par.
It was a measured waltz around the Midland Country Club, and with just one round to go, the stakes are higher than a lob wedge into a West Texas wind.
This unlikely pairing, dubbed “Sho Me the Doni,” returned a third-round 68 in alternate shot, sprinkled with four birdies and a pair of bogeys.
If you’re wondering why that matters, consider this: the duo missed the cut here in 2024. Now, they’re leading the Dow Championship and on the cusp of their maiden LPGA Tour titles.
Valenzuela, who spent 2024 representing Europe in the Solheim Cup, summed up their chemistry: “I feel like I bounce off Sarah’s confidence… we’re really good friends, and we just know each other so well. So I know when not to talk to her, I know when to talk to her. Overall, just really good vibes.”
Hot on their heels at 12-under are two rookie duos trying to write their own scripts. Jin Hee Im and Somi Lee, first-timers at the Dow Championship, carded a bogey-free 68, while the European tandem of Manon De Roey and Pauline Roussin-Bouchard posted a scrappy 69 despite format-induced rhythm issues.
“It’s really hard to get into your rhythm,” De Roey admitted. “Just for the momentum it’s a bit tough sometimes… but we fought until the end.”
Tied for fourth at 11-under are three teams: Brooke Matthews and Lauren Hartlage (Woo Pig Louie), LPGA veteran Sung Hyun Park and rookie Ina Yoon (2 dolla), and the cross-continental combo of Jennifer Kupcho and Leona Maguire (Irish Goodbye). Each team brings a unique narrative, from shared hometown clubs to past champion pedigree.
For Maguire, momentum arrived fashionably late. “Yeah, I think [the last two birdies] were huge,” she said. “Just really got nothing going today, but tried to stay patient. Jen holed two great putts.”
There are plenty of firsts dangling in front of Sunday’s contenders:
- A win for Schmelzel and Valenzuela would mark both players’ first LPGA titles, while making Valenzuela the first Swiss winner in tour history.
- For Im and Lee, a breakthrough would make them the fourth Korean pair to win on tour this season.
- De Roey would become Belgium’s first LPGA winner since 1992, and Roussin-Bouchard would be the first Frenchwoman to win since 2023.
Meanwhile, Park seeks her eighth career title—and her first since 2019—while Yoon is chasing her very first top-10. Not to be outdone, Kupcho could become the first player to win the Dow Championship twice.
The numbers speak for themselves:
- Schmelzel is currently ranked 33rd in the Race to CME Globe and has already amassed $655,000 in 2025 earnings.
- Valenzuela, ranked 86th, has nine top-10s in her career and could surpass $2 million in career earnings with a win.
This is no hit-and-giggle; this is a grind disguised in good vibes and high-fives. The Dow Championship, with its alternate-shot and best-ball rollercoaster, doesn’t just test swings—it tests friendships, patience, and poise.
And tomorrow, someone’s going to walk away not just with a trophy, but with a place in the LPGA record books.
Dow Championship, you unpredictable beauty, you’ve done it again.
