Nelly Korda 36 holes from history, takes Chevron Championship lead

After Nelly Korda exited the par-4 first hole, the chances of her retaining the lead by the end of the day seemed slim to none.

But her “never give up” spirit came through again Friday at the Chevron Championship, the LPGA’s first major of the season.

“Yes, I started with doubles. It was fun,” Korda said.

“I hit two shots out of the fairway bunker on the left. “I didn’t catch it very cleanly, and it didn’t actually hit the lining of the bunker, it just hit the grass and came back. Then I hit a birdie. I recovered and made a birdie on the next par 5.”

Korda’s first six pushed her championship back to 2 under, but by the time she reached the fifth hole she had already moved up the rankings. she scratched back She started the day at 4 under.

“I didn’t feel bad at all. Sometimes when you start making mistakes, you really lose confidence or you don’t feel so good. But I just told myself today was the first hole of the tournament. That’s it,” Korda said of the start.

“Even if I hit a double, I wanted to limit the bogeys. There’s still a lot of golf to play, there’s still a lot of par 5s available. So what I always think about is, what’s in front of me? It’s just about opportunity.”

Korda made the most of the par-5 on Friday, playing 4 under. She recorded only two birdies on her back nine, both on the par-5 13th and 18th holes. She shot a 3-under 69 and finished the day at 7 under, leaving the course with a one-stroke lead.

“It really helps me hit the fairway. I’m hitting the driver really well and yeah, just taking advantage of good drives,” Korda said of the reason for his success on the par-5.

“When I hit the fairway, I mean, on this 18th hole, I went in with a 5-iron, and on the 8th hole, I went in with a 6-iron, so I was just hitting the driver really well, which is exactly what I was hitting. It’s like a place you want. I think that’s important on par 5s. ”

Photo credit: Gregory Schamus/Getty Images

Korda won four straight in the tournament and arrived at the Chevron Championship. Her historic play was otherworldly, but during that period she relied on a formula similar to the one she used again Friday. It was to destroy the par 5.

“I try to look at every hole like an opportunity,” Korda added.

“If I continue to hit driver the way I am, I probably have some shorter clubs compared to the other girls, so I just have to stick to my process.”

Make no mistake, if Korda continues to hit it like a tee, no one will be able to catch her. She is now 36 holes away from winning her fifth consecutive tournament, a feat only achieved by Annika Sorenstam and Nancy Lopez. A win would put Korda in pretty good company as she would also win her second career major championship.

Jack Mirko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through.Be sure to check it out @_PlayingThrough Cover more golf. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko In the same way.