Nelly Korda is playing with such precision that even her mistakes land exactly where she intends. She birdied her final two holes on Friday with exquisite iron shots, carding another 7-under 65 to open up a formidable six-shot lead heading into the weekend at The Chevron Championship.
Flawless Performance
Korda has made just one bogey through 36 holes at Memorial Park, missing a 3-foot putt on the sixth hole after a delicate chip from below the green. Apart from that, the two-time major champion has been nearly flawless, sitting at 14-under 130 and seemingly playing a different course from her competitors.
“I’m comfortable with my game,” Korda said. “I think where I’m most comfortable is definitely with my mindset of knowing when I mess up I’ll figure it out. Sometimes you get stuck in wanting to play well and be at the top, which creates tension from not wanting to make a mistake. There is power in knowing it’s okay to make a mistake and just bounce back.”
Chasing Pack
Patty Tavatanakit posted another bogey-free round of 69. One shot further back are Ina Yoon (68), Ryan O’Toole (68), and Texas junior Farah O’Keefe (69), one of five amateurs to make the cut. O’Keefe, who received her invitation to The Chevron only after the Augusta National Women’s Amateur three weeks ago, is making the most of her opportunity. She played bogey-free in the second round, though she managed just one birdie on the par 5s. Her scrambling kept her in contention, and the 20-year-old remained unfazed by Korda’s dominance.
“I compared it to Rory (McIlroy) at the Masters. You never know what can happen in golf,” O’Keefe said, referencing McIlroy’s six-shot lead loss on the weekend at the Masters before he went on to win for the second straight time. “There is so much random out there that you can get a bad break. My dad and I call it that golf is a staring contest, and all you have to do is not blink first. I’m just trying not to blink and keep playing my game.”
Korda’s Stellar Stretch
Korda has hit her stride again. She won the season opener in a weather-shortened event and has played in the final group in all four of her tournaments. She appears calm and poised, and there is power behind her game. She began her impressive closing stretch with a 3-wood into the wind from 221 yards that landed perfectly and rolled out 15 feet beyond the hole, setting up an eagle putt that grazed the right edge. She missed an 8-foot birdie chance on the par-5 16th, then finished with a flourish: a 7-iron that danced around the cup and settled 10 feet away for birdie, followed by a 9-iron that again threatened the hole and left her 4 feet for her 15th birdie in 36 holes.
Her 36-hole score of 130 is the lowest of her career in majors and the third-best in LPGA major history, behind Jeongeun Lee6 (127), Brooke Henderson (128), and In Gee Chun (129), all set at the Evian Championship.
English Players
There was disappointment for England’s Mimi Rhodes, who shot a six-over 78 to miss the cut. Compatriots Charley Hull (-2) and Lottie Woad (+1) advanced to the weekend.
