Sunday’s LPGA Cognizant Founders Cup will have a new winner not named Nelly Korda. Barring some unforeseen circumstances, this is the first time since the Tournament of Champions in January that Korda has not won a tournament he has played in.
Let’s understand that.
Korda entered this week on a five-game winning streak in the tournament. She joins Nancy Lopez and Annika Sorenstam for the most wins in LPGA history. If there had been six people, a new record could have been set.
Instead, the Cup will be a two-woman race between young phenom Rose Chan and Swedish veteran Madeleine Sagström.
Korda shot a 1-over 73 on Saturday, giving him a tournament total of 8 under and tied for third place.
Still, she is 11 strokes behind Sagstrom and 10 strokes behind Chan. It’s safe to say that Korda won’t win six games in a row.
The world’s top players struggled on the front nine. She turned in 38 strokes and had four bogeys and two birdies. Things improved on the back nine, but Korda only added one birdie to his scorecard.
“There were too many stupid, stupid mistakes. It was disappointing because they were playing so well,” Korda said. “There’s a big gap right now. It was one of those days where it felt like we were in a battle and we didn’t play very well, but we kept fighting until the end.”
Saturday didn’t quite go Korda’s way, but the top two cars continued to dominate the track at Upper Montclair Country Club.
Zhang shot a 5-under 67 on Saturday, putting him at 18 under, one stroke behind Sagstrom, who shot a 6-under 66.
These two have been vying for the top spot all week, making Sunday’s storyline all about themselves.
It is extremely rare for two players to advance to the final round with a difference of 10 points. That applies to the LPGA, the PGA Tour, any tour.
“I was watching the clinic that Madelene set up. I had a great time,” Zhang said. “We were making small talk and it was a really fun time getting to know each other and playing well. I’ve always admired Madelene’s game. She’s been here for a while and Being a veteran, I’m trying to learn and see how she’s doing.”
This week was huge for Zhang’s confidence. This season has been a struggle for her, but the 20-year-old is finally starting to see the fruits of her labor.
“Honestly, I’m very happy. I finally made some putts fall,” Chan said. “I think it was really great for me to be able to look at my shots and hit whatever I could and put my all into everything. It’s very satisfying to see that come to fruition. No matter what happens tomorrow, I have a little silver lining that I had some good rounds in the competition and I can move forward with that.”
As the Stanford Cardinal celebrates her one-year anniversary of turning pro, she is aiming for her second career LPGA championship. Zhang will have to outdo the hotly contested Sagstrom, but she will likely keep a simple game plan heading into Sunday.
“I’m going to come out here and play my best, I’ll do my best,” Zhang said. “Whatever I have, I’ll use it and see how far it gets me. If the ball works, it works. If it doesn’t, there’s still a lot of room for improvement. We’re just getting started.”
Savannah Lee Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through.For more golf coverage, follow us @_PlayingThrough On all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirls and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.
