Houston (AFP) – Second-ranked Nelly Korda fired a bogey-free seven-under par 65 to seize a two-stroke lead after Thursday’s opening round of the LPGA Chevron Championship, the year’s first major women’s event. The 27-year-old American, seeking her second Chevron title in three seasons and her second victory of the year, birdied two of her last three holes at Houston’s Memorial Park.
“The wind was picking up here and there,” Korda said. “Through the trees it was definitely gusting so I had to lock in on a couple of yardages here and there. Overall, I just felt really good, though, out there.”
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Thailand’s Patty Tavatanakit and South Korea’s Lee So-mi shared second on 67. China’s Liu Yan, Japan’s Yuri Yoshida, France’s Pauline Roussin-Bouchard and 20-year-old American amateur Farah O’Keefe shared fourth on 68. Korda, the 2024 Chevron champion, won the season-opening Tournament of Champions and has three runner-up LPGA finishes since.
After firing her second-lowest opening round in a major since the 2022 Evian Championship, Korda said she had learned a key lesson about the course, a first-time host of the event. “I would say miss in the correct spots,” Korda said. “It’s all about the second shot in on this golf course. The rough isn’t too high so if you don’t hit your driver too great, it’s OK, but it’s still about placement going into the greens.”
After birdies at the 12th and par-five 16th on her front nine, Korda birdied the first three holes after the turn, hitting a five-foot putt at one, a 6-iron to six feet and made putt at the par-three second, then sinking an eight-foot putt at the 12th to grab a share of the lead. A six-foot birdie putt at the par-three seventh lifted Korda into the solo lead and she sank a five-foot birdie putt at the par-five eighth to stretch her lead before a closing par. It was Korda’s first bogey-free round since the second round of the 2024 Women’s British Open.
Patty, a 26-year-old from Bangkok, won her first LPGA title and only major triumph at this event in 2021 when it was known as the ANA Inspiration and played in California. Her bogey-free start included birdies at the par-five first, third and eighth holes, as well as the par-three 15th and par-four 17th. “I feel like I was just out there enjoying the moment,” Patty said. “It wasn’t perfect. I wish I would have hit my driver a little bit better. I was able to scramble around and save some good pars. It’s still not like where I want it to be. At the same time I’m not out there to chase perfection. My job is to get the ball inside the hole as fast as I can and I feel like did that really well.”
Lee, seeking her first major triumph, began her round on the back nine and made birdies at the 10th, 13th and par-five 14th, first, third and eighth before ending with her lone bogey at the ninth. “Recently I’ve been having problems with my shots. I think the problem is I was trying to hit it so perfectly,” Lee said through a translator. “One part I improved was my mental game, and also before the round I practiced my putter more than usual. I think that helped a lot.”
Thailand’s top-ranked Jeeno Thitikul, seeking her first major title, opened with a 74.
© 2024 AFP
