The LPGA begins its season in Orlando before heading to Florida for the second week. The women are in Bradenton, Florida for the LPGA Drive On Championship. Lydia Ko is on a roll after last week's big win.
She and Nelly Korda share the lead after the first round, each posting a 6-under 65. They took advantage of their familiarity with Florida golf courses, even though this course is new to the tour.
Korda lives in Bradenton and has played the course several times.
“I played a few months ago, but competitively I haven't played here since 2016, so it's been a long time,” Korda said. “I know they redid some things. I would have stayed at the bottom of the hole and not gone over the green and knowing where to miss instead of going into the swamp on the tough pins. I think so. Every day the pins are different, so you have to figure out where your out is every day, right?”
She didn't seem to be struggling as much on Thursday. Korda bogeyed her first hole, but picked her up after that, and she birdied three of the next five holes. She took an eagle on the eighth and had her fourth birdie on the front nine to come out with a 31.
The back nine was quite a struggle, but overall it was a solid first day.
Mr Coe had similar success on Thursday. Her 65 included no bogeys and six birdies.
The Kiwi started on the back nine and made two birdies on the par-4 14th and par-5 17th. She finished strong with four birdies in her final six holes.
“I played solidly. Honestly, I think that mid-round, mid-front nine chip-in was good momentum for me because it could have easily been a double,” Coe said. said.
She may have won in Orlando last week, but the New Zealander never looked tired. Instead, Ko is taking her confidence gained last week and running with it.
“I’m happy to be able to go from Florida to Florida,” Coe said. “It's nice to be able to play for a few weeks and it's also a good drive since I live in Orlando. It's a stress-free start to the season, especially with the Asian Swing coming up.”
Many players enter this week sluggish from tough wins, but Ko has a way of dealing with it.
“I tried to take Monday off and not play so I could look at the golf course on Tuesday and feel refreshed,” Ko said. “I think it's always good to keep playing, but at the same time try to find a balance of not doing too much.”
Savannah Lee Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation's Playing Through.If you want to know more about golf, please follow us. @_PlayingThrough On all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirls and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.
