On Wednesday, the rising senior for the University of Kentucky carded a 1-under-par 69 in the second round on the Seaside Course at Sea Island Golf Club to reach 10-under through 36 holes, extending her lead to five shots going into the final round of the championship on Thursday.
Frye, a two-time All-American for the Wildcats, will try to complete a wire-to-wire victory in the final round as she plays in the final pairing. Frye finished as the runner-up in this tournament in each of its first two years the last two summers.
She began this year’s third edition with a record score as she fired a 61 in the opening round on Tuesday while bolting to the top of the leaderboard and grabbing an early 4-stroke advantage.
Frye’s first 18 holes included seven birdies and an eagle at the par-5 15th hole as she completed the first round without a blemish on her scorecard.
Frye nearly made it through the second round without making a bogey as well, but she made her first one in 36 holes when she bogeyed the par-4 ninth which was her last hole on Wednesday. She was among the early starters from the 10th hole for round two.
Frye made a birdie at the 10th hole to start the second round and made her only other birdie of the day at the par-3 17th to make the turn at 2-under for the round and 11-under for the championship.
She would make eight straight pars coming home before the bogey at the ninth.
Three players will start Thursday’s closing round trailing Frye by the 5-shot margin as they are all 5-under after two days. Among them are Ami Gianchandani and Claire Vermette who will join Frye in the final pairing.
Gianchandani, a two-time Ivy League Player of the Year for Yale, followed up her first-round 65 with an even-par 70 and now trails Frye by the five shots after starting the second round four back.
Vermette was a graduate student this past season for Jacksonville State. She shot 66 on Wednesday which tied for the low score of the day while moving to 5-under and into the tie for second.
Rylie Heflin also shot 66 and is tied for fifth at 3-under. She will play in the next-to-last group on Thursday.
Also in that group will be Shannon Kennedy, the third player tied for second at 5-under. Kennedy shot 68 in round two after opening with a 67. She plays at Michigan State.