Staff WriterThe FM Championship turned into a waiting game on Friday, with thunderstorms, horns, and even a dash to the 18th green adding as much drama as the golf itself.
When play was finally suspended for darkness at 7:15 p.m. ET, it was 25-year-old Miranda Wang who sat alone atop the leaderboard at 11-under-par, clinging to the first LPGA Tour lead of her career.
“My first time in this position, but I’m not unfamiliar with the leaderboard. I will do my best in the weekend and this year we have really strong rookies coming in. It’s really competitive. I just want to keep up with the best,” Wang said with the kind of calm usually reserved for veteran champions.
Wang Finds Her Rhythm
The Duke alum was razor sharp before the storms rolled in. She rattled off seven birdies, including three of her first four holes, then polished off her round with a flourish — birdies on 16, 17, and 18, straddling one of the many weather delays. Wang hit 10 of 13 fairways, 13 of 17 greens, and needed just 26 putts.
This is her first appearance at the FM Championship, but she’s making herself at home. Ranked No. 187 in the Rolex Rankings, Wang has yet to win on the LPGA Tour but has two top-10s this season and an Epson Tour title from 2023. Friday’s performance suggests she’s no longer content with cameos.
Sagstrom Surges Through Chaos
Just two shots back is Sweden’s Madelene Sagstrom, who handled the weather interruptions like a seasoned poker player bluffing her way through a bad hand.
“And then we had our first delay, I came back out, so I was like panicking, warming up on the range… After that I came out. Didn’t hit any balls the second time; didn’t have time. Hit a few putts and just went out. I was like, let’s just be a bit more conservative, play to the centre of the greens and just kind of build the momentum up,” Sagstrom explained after carding a bogey-free 66.
It was a clinic in patience, a skill that could prove just as valuable as putting this weekend.
A Logjam at Eight-Under
A quartet of players is jammed together at 8-under: Hannah Green, Azahara Munoz, Celine Borge, and Sei Young Kim.
- Green birdied five times in her second round and sprinted down the 18th with playing partners Atthaya Thitikul and Lauren Coughlin to beat the next thunderclap. “I think just making sure that I’m enjoying myself when I’m out there,” she said when asked what junior golf habits she still leans on. “Sometimes I think when I was a kid I was really fearless and just wanted to have fun, so trying to embrace that.”
- Munoz delivered a flawless bogey-free round and brought along her toddler son Lucas for her press conference. “It’s really nice. It’s something that I’ve always wanted to do. Like I wanted to be a mom and be on Tour… It was really nice to see him on the last cheering me on, so it’s very special.”
- Borge went on an early tear with birdies on four of her first six holes and didn’t drop a shot all day. “The greens got a little softer so that probably helped a little. Then it’s easy to control. But I felt it was just, I hit the approaches very good.”
- Kim managed only four holes before the horn blew, but still slipped in a birdie on No. 12 to stay in touch.
Defending Champ and Familiar Faces
Defending champion Haeran Ryu is lurking at 6-under after back-to-back 69s, while FM Championship ambassador Megan Khang is at 4-under after rediscovering her groove following a shaky opening round.
Meanwhile, Jeongeun Lee6 sits at 7-under, feeling optimistic after rediscovering her swing. “I was struggling with my swing for a few years, but I got new lessons before the two weeks.
It was working good right now. It’s been a while since I played well before the weekend, so I’m looking forward to playing weekend.”
Records and Rain
Haeran Ryu set the tournament’s scoring records last year — including an 18-hole 62 and 72-hole 273 — but with the way this field is circling the red numbers, those marks might not survive the weekend.
What could survive, unfortunately, is more bad weather. With 72 players still needing to complete their second rounds, play will resume at 7 a.m. Saturday, with the third round tentatively starting around 12:30 p.m. off split tees.
For now, the FM Championship belongs to Miranda Wang, a rookie with an iron will and a growing habit of finding herself in the right place at the right time.
