MIAMI – Nelly Korda made a strong start to her bid for a record-equalling fifth straight LPGA Tour win with a four-under 68 on April 18 at the Chevron Championship, the first women’s Major of the year.
The world No. 1 American was two strokes behind first-round leader and compatriot Lauren Coughlin, who shot a superb bogey-free 66 at The Club at Carlton Woods, Texas.
The 25-year-old Korda is looking to match the five-tournament streaks achieved by Nancy Lopez in 1978 and Annika Sorenstam in 2005.
She made a shaky start with a bogey on the par-four second but she recovered with four birdies before the turn.
A bogey on the 10th was followed by birdies at 14th and 17th as she joined Marina Alex and Japan’s Minami Katsu tied in second place.
Korda said that her run of three consecutive events in March had taken a toll, suggesting she was only at 70 per cent when she teed up.
“I think those three weeks, I didn’t think that it was going to drain me as much as it did maybe mentally,” she said.
“I can definitely still feel maybe a little bit of tiredness, so it took me a while to get going. I felt the nerves definitely at the start of the round. Once I made the turn, I was just playing free golf.”
Korda will not have to contend with world No. 2 Lilia Vu, who withdrew from her title defence with a back injury.
The 31-year-old Coughlin has yet to win on the LPGA but is benefiting from a recent change of putter.
“I just keep trying to get better every year, which is my goal... to improve on things, a little here or there, and keep things I do well but also fix or improve some of the things, and that’s been what I’ve been focusing on,” she said.
New Zealand’s Lydia Ko, who is one win away from entering the LPGA Hall of Fame, is a stroke behind Korda, three off the lead, after carding 69.
In men’s golf, J.T. Poston shot an eight-under 63 and held a two-shot lead after the opening round of the RBC Heritage on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.
He had a three-shot edge after the morning wave, before Collin Morikawa and Ireland’s Seamus Power shot six-under 65s in the afternoon. Ludvig Aberg of Sweden is part of a tie for fourth at five-under 66.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler carded a two-under 69 at Harbour Town Golf Links four days after claiming his second Masters title. AFP, REUTERS
