Houston (AFP) – Nelly Korda made the best 36-hole major start of her career on Friday, firing a second consecutive seven-under par 65 to seize a six-stroke lead at the LPGA Chevron Championship. The 27-year-old American, seeking her second Chevron crown in three seasons, closed with back-to-back birdies to stand on 14-under 130 after 36 holes at Houston’s Memorial Park in the year’s first major women’s tournament.
“I played really well,” Korda said. “It’s nice to birdie the last two as well. Maybe a little peace of mind going into the weekend. Overall, I’m really happy with the way that I struck it, the way that I hit it off the tee today and also all my putting on the green.”
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World number two Korda set the tournament record 36-hole score related to par, breaking the mark of 12-under by South Korean Park Sung-hyun and Sweden’s Pernilla Lindberg in 2018. It marked the first time in Korda’s career she has fired consecutive rounds of 65 or better and the first time it had been done at any major outside of the Evian Championship.
The tournament’s largest halfway lead had been four shots, but Korda was eight strokes ahead when she walked off the course and six ahead of Thailand’s Patty Tavatanakit when the day was done. Patty, a back-nine starter, fired a 69 to stand on 136 as the only bogey-free player through 36 holes.
“I grinded pretty well. It wasn’t perfect,” Patty said. “I just kind of sucked it up and only focused on what was in front of me.” South Korea’s Yoon I-na shared third on 137 with 20-year-old American amateur Farah O’Keefe and American Ryann O’Toole.
Korda captured the season-opening LPGA Tournament of Champions and finished second in her other three starts this year. Korda, who had a two-stroke lead after 18 holes, began her round with birdies at the par-five first and par-five third holes and answered a bogey at the sixth with birdies at the par-three ninth and par-three 11th.
“I hit a 6-iron and a hybrid into a bunch of these par-threes this week,” Korda said. “Hit that one (at nine) perfectly where I wanted to the pin and rolled it in.” She made a third birdie in four holes at the 12th to reach 11-under and seize a six-stroke advantage.
“It was downhill and a little right-to-left,” Korda said. “I was just trying to put good pace on it and was lucky it kind of ice-creamed back in.”
Korda added a tap-in birdie at the par-five 14th, curled in a 12-foot birdie putt at 17, and sank a four-foot birdie putt at 18 after a great approach. “I was shocked at that one,” Korda said. “Happy with my day.”
Patty birdied the par-five 14th and 16th holes but missed the green at the par-three seventh only to rescue par with a long putt. She blasted her approach inches from the hole at the par-five eighth to set up a tap-in birdie that lifted her into second alone. Thailand’s top-ranked Jeeno Thitikul missed the cut with a 73 to stand on 147. She could be overtaken by Korda for world number one this weekend.
© 2024 AFP
