Nelly Korda taps in for eagle, secures 3-shot lead in Mexico
PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico — Nelly Korda capped off a powerful end with an enormous drive and an 8-iron to 18 inches for eagle on the ultimate gap Saturday, giving her one other 5-under 67 that stretched her lead to 3 photographs in the Riviera Maya Open at Mayakoba.
At stake for the No. 1 participant in girls’s golf is an opportunity to win back-to-back on the LPGA and turn into the primary participant since Annika Sorenstam in 2001 to start out a season with six consecutive tournaments ending no worse than runner-up.
She has performed in the ultimate group in all six of her tournaments this 12 months.
Equally spectacular is that Korda is coming off a win at a significant championship, going wire-to-wire in The Chevron Championship at Memorial Park, an enormous course for large hitters. The Camaleon is tight with bother on either side, and he or she’s navigating that simply effective.
“Even though I’m coming off a major win, I took Monday off to relax. From there, I’m here to work. I’m not on vacation,” Korda stated with a smile. “It’s a tough golf course. Most important for me is mentally, being relaxed. I’d be lying if I said my energy level was 100%.”
Korda was at 14-under 202.
Her end included a 9-iron right into a right-to-left wind to 2 toes on the par-3 fifteenth gap, the place the inexperienced is uncovered to the wind of the Caribbean Sea. This was her second straight bogey-free spherical — her solely bogey of the match was on her eleventh gap Thursday.
Three photographs behind was Arpichaya Yubol of Thailand, whose birdie-birdie end gave her a 66 and a spot in the ultimate group.
“I never played with her before,” Yubol stated. “Nelly Korda, Lydia Kothey both kind of like my idol because they play very good. And if I have to play with her tomorrow it’s just like my dream is come true. So my life is complete right now.”
Minami Katsu had a 69 and was 4 photographs behind.
Korda has not been to Mayakoba since her rookie 12 months in 2017. She has expertise on her aspect in one large space, nevertheless. As she goes for her third win of the 12 months — and 18th of her profession on the LPGA — the 4 gamers instantly behind her have but to win on the LPGA.
Korda solely had one large second of stress on the tough par-4 ninth, when she drove into the bunker and laid up properly wanting the inexperienced. She hit wedge to eight toes behind the outlet and made it to remain bogey-free.
But she smoked a 3-wood onto the inexperienced on the par-5 thirteenth for a two-putt birdie, attacked the entrance pin on the fifteenth and saved her finest for final with the 8-iron on the 18th.
“We just kind of try to avoid the mistakes as much as possible,” she stated. “You’re going to hit a bad shot here and there and you’re going to find yourself in trouble, but trying to stay away from the holes that kind of lead to you trouble is the goal.”
Yubol had the low spherical of the day and he or she will get to play with one in every of her {golfing} idols on Sunday, her birthday. She turns 24.
“She’s young, but at the end of the day I’m just focused on myself, trying to get the job done and see how that day goes,” Korda stated.
