Nelly Korda starts with 65 to lead The Chevron Championship

HOUSTON — Nelly Korda he leaned on his putter to save pars early after which poured it into his again 9 of Memorial Park for a 7-under 65, his finest begin to a serious in 4 years to take a two-shot lead Thursday in The Chevron Championship.

Patty Tavatanakitwho gained this main as a rookie in 2021 when it was the ANA Inspiration within the California desert, performed bogey-free for a 67 and was two photographs again alongside with Somi Leewho bogeyed her ultimate gap on the par-3 ninth.

Farah O’Keefethe junior at Texas, missed a 5-foot par putt on his final gap to fall again into the group of gamers at 68.

“Just day one out of four — a lot can happen,” Korda mentioned after her finest opening spherical in a serious since a 64 within the 2022 Evian Championship. “So happy to be in this position and hoping to move forward.”

Korda has been constructing towards the primary main of the LPGA season, taking part in within the ultimate group in every of her 4 tournaments this 12 months and successful the season opener.

She began on No. 10 and the American star was in full flight after making the activate a rain-soaked course that acquired little roll within the fairway. She made birdie on the three par 5s on the entrance 9 and actually shined on the powerful par 3s — a 6-iron to 4 ft on No. 2, a 5-iron to 5 ft on No. 7.

Equally vital was protecting bogeys off her card — her first bogey-free spherical in a serious because the second spherical of the 2024 Women’s British Open — particularly on the entrance 9.

“I made a really long one on my first hole which could have started out the day with a bogey and I didn’t. I made a really solid putt,” she mentioned. “Even on the second hole where I saved a 5-footer for par. Made some good saves for par.”

She additionally took benefit of the par 5s, which she typically does when contending in majors (she was 21 underneath on the par 5s in her main wins at The Chevron in 2024 and the KPMG Women’s PGA in 2021). They did not at all times go as deliberate.

Korda could not get to the par-5 first gap (her tenth) in two due to a drive that strayed to the proper. And when she hammered a drive with the wind at her again on the par-5 third, she had 6-iron to the inexperienced that got here up wanting a inexperienced with a again pin.

“Chunked it,” Korda mentioned. “But I birdied both, so we’re good.”

But it was the par 3s coming in that stood out, particularly No. 2. Korda hit 6-iron from a barely elevated tee over the bunker complicated to 4 ft, a shot she thought-about her better of the day.

She prefers to hit a draw, and the wind gushing off the left made that uncomfortable for her. She had to carry an enormous slope, and the pin was tucked behind a bunker on the proper, a foul place to miss.

“So really dialed into my target…just left of the pin and the wind took it nicely and it dropped right next to the hole,” she mentioned. “One, it took really nice. Two, it landed the perfect number. So those are the shot that you’re like, ‘Oh, God, I love golf.’

“And then I hit a piece on the following gap.”

The easy laugh was another indication Korda is in a happy place in golf and in life, coming off a winless season that also included her getting engaged.

Also having a great time was O’Keefe, who didn’t get an invitation to The Chevron until after the Augusta National Women’s Amateur. She chipped in for birdie on the par-4 fourth hole (her 13th) to reach 5 under and her name on the leaderboard — right up there with Korda — was quite a moment.

“It’s a dream,” O’Keefe said. “It’s one thing that you consider each now and again and hope for, however I really feel like I’m attempting to keep composed. There is much more golf left to be performed. The job just isn’t performed and I’m simply going to maintain doing what I’ve been doing as a result of it simply occurs to be working.”

The Chevron is at Memorial Park — also site of the Houston Open on the PGA Tour last month — for the first time after three years at Carlton Woods. The course is listed at just over 6,800 yards on the scorecard, although some tees were moved up because of soft conditions from two days of rain.

Thirty-seven players in the 132-player field broke par. Jeeno Thitikul was not among them. The No. 1 player in women’s golf had four bogeys over her last eight holes and shot 74. In her quest to win her first major, she started out nine shots behind Korda with her first goal to make the cut.

Minjee Leethe Women’s PGA champion attempting to win her fourth of the LPGA’s 5 majors, additionally opened with a 74.