Washington (United States) (AFP) – Nelly Korda hit an early speed bump in her bid for a third straight major title at the Women’s PGA Championship, where Yoon Ina carded a record-equaling nine-under par 63 to grab the first-round lead. South Korea’s Yoon fired nine birdies in her sparkling effort at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota, where she held a two-stroke lead over Australian Karis Davidson.
“I just hit the golf ball, and it just dropped in the hole,” Yoon said of a stress-free round that included more than 130 feet of putts. “(It) was really an awesome experience,” Yoon added after matching the lowest opening round in the history of the event. Davidson, like Yoon seeking to make her first LPGA title a major, conjured eight birdies in her seven-under 65 and was two strokes clear of American Alexa Pano and South Korean Kim A-lim.
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Meanwhile, world number one Korda — seeking to become just the third LPGA player to win the first three majors in a season after her victories in the Chevron Championship and the US Women’s Open — made a solid enough start but found herself seven adrift, largely thanks to a costly double-bogey at the 16th. “Honestly just made one bad swing, which ended up in a double,” said the American star, who had five birdies and was four-under through 15 when she hit her tee shot into the water at 16.
“I actually think I just made too fast of a swing and I was kind of in between clubs,” Korda said. “It’s between a three-wood and a driver. You can’t lay it too far back because then you’re blocked out by the trees and you have a long shot into a pretty difficult green that is pretty undulated, so got to risk it.” Korda, who was seven off the lead after a tough first round at the US Open but went on to claim the title for the first time, wasn’t discouraged. “I’m really happy with the first day,” she said.
But she has plenty of ground to make up on Yoon, who is thriving in her second year on the LPGA tour after serving a suspension on the KLPGA circuit for playing the wrong ball in the 2022 Korea Women’s Open and failing to declare it. She teed off on 10 and bagged four birdies before the turn, then birdied seven of her last five holes.
– ‘Pretty perfect’ –
That included a 24-foot birdie putt at the seventh, sandwiched between seven-foot birdies at the sixth and eighth. “I didn’t know I was hitting that much birdies today,” Yoon said. “(I) just try to think nothing, focus on what I need to do, focus on process. That part I think I did great today.” Davidson launched her round with an 18-foot birdie putt at the 10th and was in sizzling form on the greens all day. She added birdies at 15, 16 and 17 and two more at the second and third before bouncing back from her lone bogey of the day at the sixth with a 35-foot birdie putt at the seventh and a last birdie at the ninth.
“It was a pretty perfect round,” the 27-year-old said. “Definitely hit a lot of fairways. Hit a lot of greens. Putting was pretty on today. (I) really felt like I was going to hole everything.”
© 2024 AFP
