Kelli Ann Strand of Challis, Idaho, poses by the leaderboard after firing a 7-under-par 65 to tie for the lead after Friday’s first round of the Epson Tour Otter Creek Championship.
Ted Schultz | The Republic
Isabella Fierro and Kelli Ann Strand both started on No. 10 in Friday’s first round of the Epson Tour Otter Creek championship, but their only bogeys in otherwise sizzling rounds came at different ends of the spectrum.
Fierro, a Ciudad del Carmen, Mexico, native, played in the morning and put up eight birdies before bogeying her final hole, No. 9. Strand, who hails from Challis, Idaho, went off in the afternoon and bogeyed her first hole, No. 10, before recovering to post
Their 7-under-par 65s tied the 18-hole tournament record and gave them a share of the lead going into Saturday’s second round.
“I started off a little slow,” Strand said. “I birdied my first hole out, which I never like to do that. But I just kind of told myself I need to forget about that and move on so it doesn’t spiral into more bogeys. So I parred the next hole, then got a few birdies in there and just started rolling. I gave myself opportunities and was rolling the putter well. I made some more putts today than I normally do, so it was just a good day overall.”
Fierro played at Oklahoma State and joined the Epson Tour in 2023. She earned LPGA Tour membership with a ninth-place finish Epson Tour finish that year.
Strand played two years at Nebraska before turning pro last spring and playing eight Epson Tour tournaments in 2024. This is her first full year on the tour and Friday’s round was her best as a pro.
Jillian Hollis of Rocky River, Ohio, and Suzuka Yamaguchi of Kanagawa, Japan, are tied for third, one shot back at 6-under 66. Mingi Kang of Bucheon, Republic of Korea, and Camille Boyd of Yorba Linda, California, are tied for fifth at 5-under 67.
Meanwhile, Center Grove and Duke graduate Erica Shepherd is sitting right on the cutline after a 1-over 73. She is tied for 57th, and the top 60 and ties after the second round make the cut to Sunday’s final round.
Fort Wayne Dwenger graduate and Indiana University golfer Madison Dabagia, who made the tournament through a qualifier, is tied for 91st at 3-over 75. Zionsville and Clemson graduate Annabelle Pancake-Webb is tied for 125th at 5-over-77.
“It was definitely not my best,” Pancake-Webb said. “My driver was good, and my putting was OK, but I missed every green, and it’s hard to score when you’re not hitting greens.”
Pancake-Webb played in the Otter Creek Championship as an amateur last year. This is her first year on the tour.
“I haven’t broken through yet, but I’m having fun, which is the most important part,” Pancake-Webb said. “It’s not the golf that I’ve wanted yet, but there’s a second half of the season, so I’m optimistic.”
Defending champion Savannah Carlson is tied for 111th after a 4-over 76.
