Upton fifth after two rounds at Hesperia Golf Classic

A 5-over par 77 performance on Tuesday left Lynda Upton of Carson City with a share of fifth-place on the leader board after two rounds of the Hesperia Golf Classic at the Hesperia Golf and Country Club in Hesperia, Calif.

The 54-hole, $12,000 U.S. Challenge Golf Tour (USCGT) event concludes today.

Upton, a Carson High and University of Nevada graduate, was tied for second after she shot 74 in Monday's opening round. Her 151 total after 36 holes is good for a fifth-place tie with Natasha Hemms from Sydney, Australia.

Cheryl Lala, a 2001 graduate of the University of California-Berkeley, shot 4-under par 68 on Tuesday to move to 144 overall, one-stroke ahead of Natalie Wong. Lala, playing in her first professional event, had a tournament-best seven birdies on Tuesday.

Claire Hunter from Aberdeen, Scotland, is third at 147 after shooting 74 on Tuesday.

Upton, who celebrated her 23rd birthday on July 2, has cracked the top five at two previous USCGT events in Arizona: third at Falcon Dunes on April 7-11 and fourth at Francisco Grande Golf Club on April 14-17.