Nelly Korda opens 2 back at Chevron in bid for record win streak

THE WOODLANDS, Texas — Nelly Korda, who’s trying to tie an LPGA Tour document along with her fifth straight win, shot a 4-under 68 on Thursday within the opening spherical of the Chevron Championship, leaving her two photographs behind chief Lauren Coughlin within the 12 months’s first main.

Coughlin shot a bogey-free 66 in windy circumstances at Carlton Woods, which is internet hosting the occasion for the second time.

The highest-ranked Korda is looking for her second main after profitable the Ladies’s PGA Championship in 2021. She might be a part of Nancy Lopez (1978) and Annika Sorenstam (2004-05) as the one gamers to win 5 consecutive LPGA occasions.

Korda mentioned she was battling fatigue from current tournaments in the beginning of her spherical. She bogeyed her first gap, the par-4 tenth.

“I (might) undoubtedly nonetheless really feel possibly just a little little bit of tiredness, so it took me some time to get going,” she mentioned. “I felt the nerves undoubtedly in the beginning of the spherical. As soon as I made the flip, I used to be simply enjoying free golf.”

She made her first birdie on the par-4 14th gap, one thing she half-jokingly credited to a snack.

“I really had an apple on 13, and that gave me really a pleasant enhance,” she mentioned. “I felt lots higher after that. Perhaps I ought to have apples extra typically.”

The 25-year-old completed with six birdies, including four in the final six holes.

“Two of them had been par 5s, so I bought to reap the benefits of that with my size,” she mentioned. “Hit a very good tee shot, after which I used to be simply on the entrance of the inexperienced on 17, and the opposite one I used to be simply on the perimeter, too. I two-putted just about for birdie on these. Then I had wedge photographs in on the opposite two, too. Making the most of my size and hitting good tee photographs.”

Marina Alex and Japan’s Minami Katsu additionally shot 68. Lydia Ko was one in every of 5 gamers at 69.

The 31-year-old Coughlin, who performed in faculty at Virginia and has by no means received on the LPGA Tour, made three birdies in a four-hole span from Nos. 2-5. She believes her sport has benefited from her current determination to make husband John Pond her full-time caddie.

“He is actually good at speaking by all the pieces once I need to get actually quick and decide actually rapidly,” Coughlin mentioned. “He’s actually good at placing all of the work in, all the additional work, all the additional strolling … ensuring the technique is admittedly good and double checking all the pieces. However … he is all the time been actually good with how he talks to me and communicates what he thinks I have to do and the way I have to do it.”

Defending champion and world No. 2 Lilia Vu withdrew due to a again damage. She issued an announcement on Instagram saying she had “extreme discomfort” in her again throughout warmups.

“I’ve been coping with a again damage for some time now,” Vu mentioned within the assertion. “Some days are higher than others, and right this moment was sadly not a great day. Throughout my regular warmup routine, I had extreme discomfort in my again and I felt that I couldn’t compete as much as my requirements and made the choice to withdraw from the match forward of my tee time.”

She added that she was returning dwelling to see her docs and decide the subsequent steps.

Later within the day, final 12 months’s runner-up Angel Yin withdrew due to an damage after taking pictures 78.

A win by Ko would put her within the LPGA Corridor of Fame. She received the Hilton Grand Holidays Match of Champions in January for her twentieth LPGA title.

The 26-year-old New Zealander admitted that she nonetheless will get nervous earlier than tournaments regardless of all her expertise and success.

“It would not matter what occasion we’re enjoying or what circumstances, once you’re youthful you need to get away from the nerves,” Ko mentioned. “To some extent so long as you’ll be able to management it the nerves are good for you and also you’re in a position to excel and get the adrenaline to hit some photographs that you could be not be capable to execute once you’re simply training.”