Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – World number one Nelly Korda roared back into contention at the US Women’s Open, shooting a four-under par 67 in Friday’s best round to sit just two strokes off the lead. She trailed a pair of co-leaders on four-under after two rounds at the Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles — American Alison Lee, and world number four Yin Ruoning of China.
“Overall, just really happy with the way my game is trending, especially from yesterday,” said Korda. “It was weird because I was striking it so well Monday through Wednesday, and all of a sudden…I had no idea what was going on yesterday with my driver. So I tried to figure it out on the range after the round and got a little bit of something going. Yeah, I still hit a few out right today, but it was much, much better.”
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Three-time major winner Korda, seeking her first US Open title, had been seven strokes off the lead overnight, but wasted no time closing the gap. She birdied the par-five first hole, a pinpoint approach gave her a tap-in on seven, and she sank an 11-foot putt on nine. A fourth birdie out of the rough on the par-five 11th was followed by her only bogey of the day on 12, where her short putt dribbled right after a sliced drive and overlong approach. But Korda, chasing her second straight major title after victory in the Chevron Championship in April, upped the pressure on the leaders again with a birdie on 17 to end tied-ninth on two-under.
Korda credited her sister for improving her swing with advice given on the driving range after Thursday’s frustrating round to just try to “strengthen my grip a little bit.” “It felt super funky today, but I just trusted and went with it,” she said.
Yin enjoyed a bogey-free round of 69, while Los Angeles native and fellow co-leader Lee racked up four birdies on her way to an impressive 68 as she pursues her first major. A shot back on a bunched leaderboard were South Korea’s Chun In-gee, Yoo Hyun-jo and Kim Sei-young, Japan’s Hinako Shibuno, Mexico’s Gaby Lopez, and overnight leader Jennifer Kupcho — all on three-under par.
Having started on the back nine, Kupcho bogeyed her final two holes to slip down the leaderboard. She scuffed her approach on the eighth hole and then had to chip out of a steep-lipped fairway bunker on the ninth. It meant she followed her opening round 66 with a two-over-par 73, which included a total of four bogeys and two birdies. The American — chasing her second major title, after her 2022 Chevron Championship win — said she remained optimistic, noting that “almost after every bogey I’ve come back and made a birdie.”
“So just telling myself that really any hole is birdieable. I just need to go out and hit the shots and do the best that I can,” she said. The tournament is taking place on the Los Angeles course that will be the venue for Olympic golf at the 2028 Summer Games.
© 2024 AFP
