Five golfers share the lead at midway point at Women’s Championship

Julia Gregg drives the ball down the 17th hole fairway during Friday’s Hartford HealthCare Women’s Championship at The Golf Club of Avon. After a second round 73, she is at even par after two rounds. More photos

AVON, July 24, 2026 -Five golfers are tied at the midway point of the 2026 Hartford HealthCare Women’s Championship tournament at The Golf Club of Avon.

Americans’ Jennifer Elliott, Camille Boyd and Christine Wang and Australian’s Caitlyn Peirce and Kendall Todd are each at five-under-par with three golfers one stroke back at four under and four golfers two strokes back at three-under-par.

All five co-leaders are looking for their first win on the Epson Tour, the developmental tour of the LPGA.

Round 3 begins at 7 a.m. on Saturday and on Sunday. The field was trimmed from 144 to just over 60 golfers who are at least 3-over-par or better after two rounds.

One-day general admission tickets are $15 each or $35 for a four-day pass. Children age 18 and under are free along with Avon residents and children and family members from First Tee CT. Free parking is at Avon Middle School and a shuttle will bring you to the club and back to your vehicle.

Bear’s Smokehouse BBQ will be providing complimentary BBQ sandwiches for youngsters on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for Kids On the Course Day.

Todd had three birdies and an eagle on Friday with a five-under-par 66, the second lowest score of the day on Friday. “I hit the ball a lot better off the tee today than I did yesterday,” Todd said. “Finding more fairways really helped because it gave me good lies into the greens and more opportunities to hit it close.”

Elliott, a second-year player on the Epson Tour, had a 67 on Friday to grab a share of the lead. “My putting definitely improved a lot from yesterday,” she said. “I had three three-putts in the first round, but today I was able to make a few good putts and control my speed much better.”

Boyd, a rookie on the LPGA Tour, is one of three LPGA members playing in Avon this weekend instead of playing at the LPGA’s stop in Scotland this weekend. She had five birdies on Friday to grab a share of the lead.

“I think just to stick to my game plan, it was pretty intentional for me to come back and play a four-day event, said Boyd. “I wanted to simulate LPGA as much as possible. I think now I’ve made the cut a couple of times just sticking to what I’ve been doing and not necessarily trying to recreate.”

Xiaowen Yin tries to line up a putt during Friday’s seond round of the Hartford HealthCare Women’s Championship tournament at The Golf Club of Avon. More photos

“The course is playing great,” tournament director Patrick O’Connell said. “The course is playing challenging and very fair. You’re starting to see the players who are really strong on their game right now, firing on every level tee to green.

“The greens, from what I have heard from the player’s feedback, are some of the best greens that they’ve played on tour this year but on the tour in a long time,” he said. “So, the greenskeeper here should be very proud.”

First round co-leader Megha Ganne had a second-round 73 and fell two shots off the pace at 3-under-par. Mirabel Ting had a second-round 76 and is five shots behind the leaders.

Golfer Lauryn Nguyen drives the ball toward the 18th green during the second of the Hartford HealthCare Women’s Championship Friday in Avon. She missed the cut with a two round total of six-over-par.

There was also a memorable moment on Friday when Thailand’s Napat Lertsadwattana recording the first hole-in-one of her professional career on the par-3 fourth hole.

Playing from 154 yards, Lertsadwattana used an 8-iron on a shot that landed just short of the flag before taking two bounces and disappearing into the cup. It was her fifth hole-in-one overall.

After the round, Lertsadwattana learned a homeowner bordering the fourth hole at the Golf Club of Avon had lived on the property for roughly four decades without ever witnessing a hole-in-one at that hole. She signed a golf ball for him.

Information from Espon Tour’s Carly Haines was used to compile this report.

2026 Hartford HealthCare Women’s Championship

At Avon (Golf Club of Avon)
Yardage: 6,439; Par 71

Of note: Lauren Gomez had the lowest score of the day on Friday with a 7-under-par 64. … The cut was players at 3-over par and lower. The low 60 players, plus ties, advance to third and fourth round.

2026 Hartford HealthCare Women’s Championship full results