ROYAL OAK, Mich. – Pimchompoo “Pinky” Chaisilprungruang and defending champion Farah O’Keefe emerged as co-medalists at the 125th Women’s Western Amateur on Wednesday, surviving a lengthy weather delay at Red Run Golf Club.

Both players finished at 6-under par, one stroke ahead of the field. This is the first time the Women’s Western Amateur has awarded co-medalists since 2020, when Caroline Curtis and Blair Stockett shared the honors.

Play was suspended at 2:23 p.m. ET due to severe thunderstorms that swept through the area, forcing players off the course for 2 hours and 52 minutes before play resumed late in the afternoon. The second round was completed before dark, with 28 players finishing even par or better to secure their place in the Round of 32 for match play.

The 11 players on the cut line at 1-over will return for a playoff at 7 a.m. Thursday to decide the last four spots and complete the match-play bracket.

O’Keefe, a standout from Texas, fired rounds of 67 and 71 to earn medalist honors for the second consecutive year. In doing so, the 2024 champion became the first back-to-back medalist since Carol Semple Thompson in 1990 and 1991.

“That is really cool,” O’Keefe said. “This is just the first part of the tournament, but it gives me a lot of confidence going into tomorrow. It’s something that’s going to keep me focused and confident.”

O’Keefe made just one bogey over 36 holes of stroke play. Her steady performance set the stage for another match-play run.

“I just need to keep hitting good golf shots and give myself birdie chances,” she said. “That’s really all I’m going to do in match play. When you don’t make mistakes, it puts a lot of pressure on your opponent – and that’s something I tend to do really well.”

Chaisilprungruang opened the tournament with a career-low 8-under 64 – just two shots off the course record – to take the first-round lead on Tuesday. Though her second round didn’t match those fireworks, she remained upbeat.

“I didn’t play so well today after the rain,” said Chaisilprungruang, who was 2-over after the restart on her way to shooting a 2-over 74. “It wasn’t a bad day, though. I woke up feeling good, and overall, I’m happy with the result.”

To stay composed during the delay, Chaisilprungruang leaned on the same habits that fueled her hot start.

“I listened to my favorite songs, ate and relaxed,” she said. “I wasn’t asking myself, ‘Why did it rain?’ I know it’s going to rain more in my future, so this is good practice. It’s better to learn to manage it now.”

Not everyone was caught in the storm.

Suzie Tran, a Louisville transfer and the 2023 Women’s Western Junior champion, managed to finish her round just before the delay – and made the most of it. Tran carded a 4-under 68, highlighted by seven birdies and a lighthearted mindset.

“It was just about having fun today,” said Tran, who is vying to become the first Women’s Western Junior winner to win the Amateur since Chakansim Khamborn in 2015. “I’ve got a great caddie with me this week, and talking about everything except golf helped keep me happy and in the right mindset to bounce back from mistakes.”

That caddie is Billy Gneiser, a collegiate player at DePaul who drove five and a half hours to be on Tran’s bag this week.

“He caddied for me at a couple of events last year, and we just had such a great connection,” Tran said. “He really understands my game and what I need out there – which, honestly, is to not talk about golf.”

Reagan Chaney, of Ardmore, Oklahoma, and Huai-Chien Hsu, of Tainan, Taiwan, finished a stroke behind the leaders at 5-under par. Twenty-one players finished under par after 36 holes.

Ryan Donaldson of McAlpin, Florida, missed the match play cut at 4-over but was awarded the Marion Miley Bracelet, given to the low stroke-play finisher across both the Women’s Western Amateur and Women’s Western Junior.

Held without interruption since 1901, the Women’s Western Amateur is among the oldest and most prestigious annual championships in women’s amateur golf. The tournament is conducted jointly by the Women’s Western Golf Association and the Western Golf Association.

The championship features the top amateur and collegiate players from across the globe. The winner at Red Run this week will join a list of past champions that includes legendary stars Patty Berg, Louise Suggs and Nancy Lopez as well as modern standouts like Cristie Kerr, Brittany Lang, Stacy Lewis and Ariya Jutanugarn.

Attendance and parking for the Women’s Western Amateur are free.