Behind Kim, Boonchant, Duke takes the lead after two rounds in Auburn Regional

   With Gina Kim, a freshman from Chapel Hill, N.C., and Jaravee Boonchant, a sophomore from Thailand and the No. 25 player in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), leading the way, Duke, No. 3 in the latest Golfstat rankings, moved into the top spot after two rounds in the NCAA Auburn Regional at Saugahatchee Country Club In Opelika, Ala. Tuesday.

   The Blue Devils, the top seed in the Auburn Regional, carded a 1-under-par 287 over the 6,371-yard, par-72 Saucahatchee layout after opening with a 2-over 290 for a 1-over 577 total.

   Kim carded a solid 2-under 70 and Boonchant posted a 1-under 71 as both landed in a group of four players tied for fifth in the individual standings at 1-under 143. Kim had opened with a 1-over 73 Monday and Boonchant matched par in the opening round with a 72.

   Duke, a perennial national power, had some familiar teams right behind it as Atlantic Coast Conference rivals Virginia, ranked 17^th and seeded fifth, was in second place and No. 11 Florida State, seeded third, was tied for third with Southeastern Conference power Vanderbilt, ranked sixth and seeded second.

   The Cavaliers had the best team round of the day, a 5-under 283, after opening with a 296 and sit just two shots behind Duke in second at 3-over 579.

   Florida State added a solid 1-over 289 to its opening-round 291 to share third place with Vanderbilt at 4-over 580, just a shot behind Virginia. The Commodores added a 5-over 293 to their opening-round 287.

   Upstart East Carolina, ranked 53^rd and seeded 14^th, held onto its spot in the top six as the Pirates carded a 7-over 295 after opening with a 291 for a 10-over 586 total that left them alone in fifth place.

   The top six teams and the top three individuals from non-advancing teams earn a trip to the NCAA Championship later this month at The Blessings Golf Club in Fayetteville, Ark.

   Host Auburn, ranked 13^th and seeded fourth, bounced back from an opening-round 299 with a 2-over 290 for a 13-over 589 total to get a share of sixth place with SEC rival Tennessee, ranked 42^nd and seeded 11^th. The Volunteers added a 7-over 295 to their opening-round 294.

   Backing up Duke’s top two of Kim and Boonchant was Ana Belac, a junior from Slovenia and No. 47 in the Women’s WAGR. Belac added a 1-over 73 to her opening-round 72 to land among the group tied for 12^th at 1-over 145.

   Virginia Elena Carta, a senior from Italy, added a 73 to her opening-round 75 to join the group tied for 28^th at 4-over 148. Carta has never quite recovered the form that made her the 2016 NCAA individual champion as a freshman and the runnerup in the U.S. Women’s Amateur later that summer at Rolling Green Golf Club, but she still has plenty of game.

   Rounding out the Duke lineup was Miranda Wang, a redshirt sophomore from China who joined Carta in the group tied for 28^th at 148 after Wang added a 3-over 75 to her opening-round 73.

   The best individual round of the tournament, a 7-under 65, was authored by Murray State’s Linnette Holmslykke, a senior from Denmark, and it allowed her to surge to the top of the leaderboard along with Vanderbilt’s Auston Kim, a freshman from St. Augustine, Fla., and Maryland’s Virunpat Olankitkunchai, a sophomore from Thailand, at 4-under 140.

   Holmslykke had opened with a 3-over 75 before solving the Saucahatchnee layout to the tune of seven birdies with nary a bogey on her scorecard. Kim and Olankitkunchai and Kim both carded a second straight 2-under 70 to reach 140.

   Amanda Doherty, the junior leader on a Florida State bursting with young talent, added a 2-under 70 to her opening-round 71 and was alone in fourth, a shot behind the top three at 3-under 141. Doherty of Atlanta won The Sally, one of the prestigious stops on the Orange Blossom Tour in Florida, in January.

   Joining Duke’s Kim and Boonchant in the quartet tied for fifth at 1-under 143 were Texas State’s Anne-Charlotte Mora, a senior from France, and Tennessee’s Mariah Smith, a sophomore from Clarksville, Tenn. Mora added a 1-under 71 to her opening-round 72 while Smith, who had opened with a 71, matched par Tuesday with a 72.

   In the Norman Regional, Big 12 champion Agathe Laisne, a sophomore at Texas from France and No. 42 in the Women’s WAGR, fired a 4-under 68 to send the Longhorns, coming off their third straight Big 12 title, to the top of the leaderboard after two rounds at the Jimmie Austin OU Golf Club in Norman, Okla.

   No. 2 Texas, the top seed in Norman, posted a 7-under 281 over the 6,367-yard, par-72 Jimmie Austin OU layout after opening with a 287 for an 8-under 568 total that gave the Longhorns a one-shot edge on No. 10 Florida, the third seed. The Gators added a 3-under 285 to their opening-round 284 for a 7-under 569 total.

   No. 30 Purdue, seeded eighth, moved into third place as the Boilermakers added a 3-under 285 to their opening-round 289 for a 2-under 574 total that left them five shots behind Florida.

   ACC champion Wake Forest, ranked seventh and seeded second, made its move behind the No. 1 player in the Women’s WAGR, Jennifer Kupcho, a senior from Westminster, Colo., as the Demon Deacons added a 3-under 285 to their opening-round 290 for a 1-under 575 total that left them in fourth place.

   No. 15 Arizona State, seeded fourth, got a sparkling 6-under 66 from individual leader Olivia Mehaffey, a junior from Northern Ireland and No. 17 in the Women’s WAGR, to move into fifth place at 3-over 579, four shots behind Wake Forest. The Sun Devils, who captured the 2017 national championship at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Ill., added a 1-over 289 to their opening-round 290.

   No. 34 Mississippi, the ninth seed still riding the wave from its unlikely run to an SEC title, landed in a tie for sixth with No. 37 and 10^th-seeded Texas Tech at 5-over 581. Both teams carded a 294 after opening with a 287. It’s going to be tight battle for those coveted six tickets to The Blessings Golf Club and the NCAA Championship.

   Laisne had opened with a 1-under 71 and her 68 Tuesday left her in a tie for third with Purdue’s Micaela Farah, a junior from Peru, at 5-under 139. The Frenchwoman, winner of the 2017 European Ladies’ Amateur Championship the summer before she arrived in Austin, has been playing some really good golf this spring.

   Backing her up was Kaitlyn Papp, a sophomore home girl from Austin, Texas who added a 2-under 70 to her opening-round 71 to land among the group tied for eighth at 3-under 141. Sara Kouskova, a freshman from the Czech Republic, added a 1-over 73 to her opening-round 72 to join the group tied for 27^th at 1-over 145.

   The Longhorns’ junior leader, Emilee Hoffman of Folsom, Calif., bounced back from an opening-round 76 with a solid 2-under 70 that left her in the group tied for 29^th at 2-over 146.

   Rounding out the Texas lineup was Hailee Cooper, one of the most talented freshmen in the country out of Montgomery, Texas. Cooper has yet to solve the Jimmie Austin OU layout as she added a 3-over 75 to her opening-round 73 that left her among the group tied for 43^rd at 4-over 148.

   Mehaffey, the Pac-12 champion who has twice been a member of the Great Britain & Ireland Curtis Cup side, had opened with a 3-under 69 before going off with Tuesday’s 66 that gave her a 9-under 135 total and a three-shot advantage over Memphis’ Michaela Fletcher, a redshirt senior from South Africa competing as an individual, in the individual standings.

   Fletcher had grabbed the opening-round lead with a 4-under 68 before adding a 70 Tuesday that left her alone in second place at 6-under 138.

   Purdue’s Farah added a 3-under 69 to her opening-round 70 to join Laisne in a tie for third at 5-under 139.

   Wake Forest’s Kupcho, the reigning NCAA individual champion and the classy winner of the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur Championship last month, fired a 3-under 69 Tuesday after opening with a 71 to head a group of three players tied for fifth at 4-under 140.

   Joining Kupcho at 140 were Virginia Tech’s Amanda Hollandsworth, a graduate student from Floyd, Va., and Oklahoma’s Kaitlin Milligan, a sophomore home girl from Norman. Both Hollandsworth and Milligan carded a second straight 2-under 70 to land at 4-under 140.

   In the East Lansing Regional, some weather forced officials to go with a shotgun start at 2:45 p.m. for a little twilight golf, although everybody finished their rounds.

   No. 16 Kent State, the third seed, had reigning national champion Arizona, ranked fifth and seeded second, breathing down its neck, but the Golden Flashes held onto the lead following the second round at the Forest Akers West Golf Course in East Lansing, Mich.

   Kent State fell back after its opening-round 282 with a 3-over 291 over the 6,387-yard, par-72 Forest Akers West layout that left the 21-time Mid-American Conference champion with a 3-under 573 total. Arizona added a 4-under 284 to its opening-round 290 for a 2-under 574 total that left the Wildcats a shot behind Kent State in second.

   A couple of perennial Pac-12 powers, No. 14 UCLA, seeded fourth, and top-seeded Stanford, ranked fourth, were sitting in third and fourth place, respectively.

   The Bruins rode a sparkling 6-under 66 from Patty Tavatanakit, a sophomore from Thailand and No. 2 in the Women’s WAGR, to a 3-under 285 Tuesday as they bounced back from an opening-round 296 for a 5-over 581 total that left them seven shots behind Arizona.

   Stanford, coming off a Pac-12 title last month, bounced back from an opening-round 298 with a 2-over 290 for a 12-over 588 that left the Cardinal seven shots behind UCLA.

   A couple of Big Ten entries, No. 55 Indiana, seeded 14^th, and No. 28 Illinois, seeded seventh, were tied for fifth at 16-over 592, very much in position to earn one of the six tickets to The Blessings Golf Club for the NCAA Championship.

   The upstart Hoosiers added an 11-over 299 to their opening-round 293 while the Illini fell back with a 300 after they had opened with a solid 4-over 292.

   It looks like Wednesday’s final round in East Lansing will be the end of the line for No. 33 North Carolina as the ninth-seeded Tar Heels added a 305 to their opening-round 306 for a 35-over 611 total that left them in 15^th place. Junior Brynn Walker, the winner of the PIAA Class AAA Championship in 2014 and 2015 while at Radnor, bounced back from an opening-round 81 by matching par with a 72.

   Kent State was led by Pimnipa Panthong, a junior from Thailand and No. 23 in the Women’s WAGR. Panthong had grabbed the individual lead with her opening-round 68 before backing off with a 2-over 74 Tuesday, but remained among a group of three players tied for third at 2-under 142.

   Backing up Panthong was Michaela Finn, a senior from Sweden who added an even-par 72 to her opening-round 71 and was in the group tied for sixth at 1-under 143. Chloe Solart, a sophomore from France, added a 2-over 74 to her opening-round 72 for a 2-over 146 that left her among the group tied  for 17^th.

   Karoline Stormo, a junior from Norway and No. 33 in the Women’s WAGR, bounced back from an opening-round 76 with a 1-under 71 that left her in the group tied for 19^th place at 3-over 147. She was joined in that group by the final member of the Kent State lineup, Thitapa Pakdeesetakul, a freshman from Thailand. Pakdeesetakul struggled to a 4-over 76 after opening with a 71.

   Tavatanakit had opened with a 1-under 71 before surging to the top of the leaderboard with her 66 Tuesday giving her a four-shot advantage over Michigan State’s Haylin Harris, a freshman from Carmel, Ind.

   Tavatanakit was the low amateur in the ANA Inspiration, the LPGA’s first major championship earlier this spring on the Dinah Shore Tournament Course at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, Calif., finishing in a tie for 26^th at even-par 288. Last spring she contended in the U.S. Women’s Open at Shoal Creek before finishing tied for fifth at 2-under 286, again the low amateur.

   Harris, playing on her home course, added an even-par 72 to her opening-round 69 for a 3-under 141 total that left her alone in second place.

   Joining Kent State’s Panthong in the trio tied for third at 2-under 142 were Baylor’s Gurleen Kaur, a sophomore from Houston, and Illinois’ Komkamol Sukaree, a freshman from Huntingdon Beach, Calif. Kaur fired a 3-under 69 after opening with a 73 while Sukaree carded a second straight 1-under 71.

   Walker, who plays out of St. Davids Golf Club, led the way for North Carolina with her 72 that left her among the group tied for 58^th at 153.

   Kelly Whaley, a senior from Farmington, Conn., had opened with a solid 2-under 70, but struggled to a 5-over 77 Tuesday that left her among the group tied for 19^th at 3-over 147. Ava Bergner, a sophomore from Germany, struggled to an 81 that the Tar Heels tossed and which left her among the group tied for 78^th at 157.

   Nicole Lu, a freshman from Taiwan, added an 80 to her opening-round 79 for a 159 total that left her in a tie for 82^nd at 159. Jennifer Zhou, a freshman from China, bounced back from an 85 with North Carolina’s second-best score of the day, a 4-over 76 that left her alone in 87^th place with a 161 total.

   Notre Dame’s Emma Albrecht, a senior from Ormond Beach, Fla. closing out an outstanding career with her third NCAA regional appearance, added a 2-over 74 to her opening-round 77 that left her among the group tied for 43^rd at 151.

   In the Cle Elum Regional, the No. 1 team in the country, Southern California, the top seed, continued a march toward the team title that took on an air of inevitability as the Trojans added a 3-under 285 over the Suncadia Resort’s Tumble Creek Clubin Cle Elum, Wash. to their opening-round 281 for a 10-under 566 total that gave them a 12-shot lead over No. 19 Washington, the fifth seed.

   Southern Cal’s Jennifer Chang, a sophomore from Cary, N.C. and No. 27 in the Women’s WAGR, charged to the top of the leaderboard in the individual standings with a 5-under 67 over the 6,306-yard, par-72 Tumble Creek Club layout that left her with a 7-under 137 total. Chang, the 2017 U.S. Girls’ Junior runnerup at Boone Valley Golf Club in Augusta, Mo., had opened with a 2-under 70.

   Washington, three years removed from an unlikely run to a national championship at Eugene Country Club in Eugene, Ore., added a 5-over 293 to its opening-round 285 for a 2-over 578 total that left it alone in second place.

   No. 29 San Jose State, seeded eighth, was four shots behind the Huskies in third place at 6-over 582 after adding a 5-over 293 to its opening-round 289. No. 8 Arkansas, the second seed, continued its determined bid to play in the NCAA Championship on its home course as the Razorbacks were just a shot behind San Jose State in fourth place at 7-over 583. Arkansas added an 8-over 296 to its opening-round 287.

   No. 16 Northwestern, seeded fourth, struggled to a 302 after opening with a 4-under 284 that left the Wildcats in fifth place at 10-over 586, three shots behind Arkansas.

   Big Ten champion Ohio State, ranked 56^th and a sneaky 14^th seed, was tied for sixth with No. 49 UCF, the 13^th seed, at 12-over 588, just two shots behind Northwestern.

   Backing up Chang for Southern Cal was Alyaa Abdulghany, a sophomore from Newport Beach, Calif., who added an even-par 72 to her opening-round 70 for a 142 total that left her alone in eighth place at 2-under 142.

   Malia Nam, a freshman from Kailua, Hawaii, was a shot behind Abdulghany at 1-under 143 in the group tied for ninth place as she took three shots off her opening-round 73 with a 2-under 70. Gabriela Ruffels, a sophomore from Australia, struggled to a 4-over 76 after opening with a 69 as she landed in the group tied for 13^th at 1-over 145.

   Rounding out the Southern Cal lineup was Allisen Corpuz, a junior from Honolulu, Hawaii and No. 40 in the Women’s WAGR who struggled to a 78 after matching par in the opening round with a 72 for a 150 total that left her in the group tied for 40^th at 150.

   UCF’s Ana Laura Collado, a sophomore from Mexico, had grabbed the opening-round lead with a 6-under 66, but fell back with an even-par 72 that left her in a tie for second with Washington’s Rino Sasaki, a sophomore from Japan, at 6-under 138, a shot behind Southern Cal’s Chang. Sasaki added a 2-under 70 to her opening-round 68.

   Oregon’s Kathleen Scavo, a senior from Benicia, Calif., matched par with a 72 after opening with a 67 for a 5-under 139 total that left her alone in fourth place.

   Ohio State’s Aneka Seumanutafa, a freshman from Emmitsburg, Md., carded her second straight 2-under 70 that left her alone in fifth place, a shot behind Scavo at 4-under 140.

   Seumanutafa took a little detour before the Cle Elum Regional when she teed it up in the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship at Timuquana Country Club, a Donald Ross design in Jacksonville, Fla. Seumanutafa and her pal, Maryland Junior Girls champion Faith Choi, took medalist honors with a record 14-under 130 total, mostly fueled by their record opening round of 12-under 60.

   Seumanutafa was taking final exams and didn’t get in a practice round at Timuquana, then showed up and made 10 birdies on her own ball. Did a post on the U.S. Women’s Four-Ball over the weekend, if you want some details.

   Arkansas’ Maria Fassi, a senior from Mexico and No. 4 in the Women’s WAGR, shared sixth place with San Jose State’s Natasha Andrea Oon, a freshman from Malaysia, at 3-under 141.

   Fassi, the SEC champion and runnerup to Wake Forest’s Kupcho in the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur Championship, added an even-par 72 to her opening-round 69. Oon added a 1-under 71 to her opening-round 70.