IN: ORLANDO, Fla. Nelly Korda is right in front of a stacked court heading into the final of the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions — the LPGA kickoff event. Four women who have won Majors are among the top five players.
Korda, the world No. 1 and a five-time winner in (including an Olympic gold medal), limited her mistakes Saturday in tough, cool conditions for a 3-Under 69 with four birdies and a bogey and is 13-under 203 overall. Korda, 23, won the GAINBRIDGE LPGA at the same course, Lake Nona Golf and Country Club.
Danielle Kang, runner-up at this tournament a year ago, an OCD champion Gaby Lopez of Mexico both finished bogey-free at Kordas’ 69 and will start the final round with a shot back. Canada’s Brooke Henderson and Japan’s Yuka Saso shot the day’s low score of 68 and will start two and three shots behind Korda respectively on Sunday.
Kang, Henderson and Saso have all won major championships.
Korda is aiming for her eighth career LPGA title. The more she goes hunting, the more balanced she seems. On Saturday, she played alongside a former player n ° 1, Annika Sorenstam, who has won 72 times on the LPGA and who runs the celebrity field.
“I don’t think anyone feels really comfortable sleeping at the top in a way, but I’m just going to see how I can get out of this opportunity, try to bring my best Golf tomorrow and see how it goes,” Korda said.
Kang briefly held the lead on the back nine and made only one bogey in three rounds. A Californian who has never played very well in the cold got up early at home in Las Vegas during the off-season and trained in the cold and wind. She experimented with layers of clothes that would not prevent her momentum.
“There’s still a lot of progress to be made,” said Kang, 29, who had a rare winless season a year ago. (This OCD field includes 29 event winners from the last three LPGA Seasons). “I did some swings where I just froze. My body doesn’t react as well in cold weather.”
Kang had Back-to-Back Birdies from the Par-3 13th. at 14, with the tee shot on the Par-4 short pushed to 251 yards, she drove the green and missed her Eagle Putt from just 20 feet.
“I gave myself a lot of opportunities to Par today,” she said. “I didn’t really give myself a lot of birdie opportunities, but I used a few that I was proud of. I think the biggest thing I’m proud of is that I’m staying in the Moment, in what I need to do. I can’t really control what other people are doing.”
Lopez, 28, has been impressive all week. She had made only two birdies when she reached the start at the 398-yard final hole on Saturday, she stayed patient and even with a good drive she still had 162 yards straight into the wind. She hit one of her best shots of the day, a solid 5-iron to 12 feet, and buried the putt, closing with Birdie for a second straight day.
Lopez said she played with “bravery” this week.
“Being able to follow Gaby without her demons and with her doubts and moments of uncertainty,” Lopez said. “To be able to turn up and say, ‘Hey, I’m here for a reason. I’ve worked my whole life for this.’ … Whatever happens tomorrow, it’s going to be fine. I’m sure we’ll be playing some solid golf this year.”
Sorenstam, who won the U.S. Women’s Senior Open last summer and is a member of Lake Nona, heads the Celebrity division, which uses a modified Stableford points system.
