ORLANDO, Fla. — After a tough start, World No. 1 Nelly Korda finally found her groove on Friday and made a massive move up the leaderboard at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions.
Nelly Korda within striking distance at LPGA’s HGV Tournament of Champions
World No. 1 Nelly Korda made a massive move up the leaderboard during the second round at Lake Nona.
Jack Milko has been playing golf since he was five years old. He has yet to record a hole-in-one, but he did secure an M.A. in Sports Journalism from St. Bonaventure University.
She began with three straight pars and a bogey, which dropped her back to even par for the championship through 22 holes overall. Korda started on the 10th hole, so after giving up a shot at the par-3 13th, she bounced back with two consecutive birdies on the 14th and 15th holes to get to 2-under. Another par-breaker followed on the challenging par-4 18th, and then she made three more birdies on the front nine to ultimately card a 5-under 67.
“Just capitalized a little bit more, and I made some more putts. I hit a few more solid shots today,” Korda assessed.
“It’s definitely playing a little softer and longer compared to years past. Hit some really solid shots and just capitalized on them today.”
Korda currently sits in a tie for third with Rio Takeda of Japan and Leona Maguire of Ireland. A Lin Kim, who shot a masterful round of 65 on day one, continues to hold the lead. She shot a 3-under 69 on Friday and now sits at 10-under overall. Sweden’s Linn Grant, meanwhile, is solo second at 7-under after shooting a 67 on Friday.
No player posted a lower score than a 67 during the second round.
Along with Korda and Grant, defending champion Lydia Ko posted a 67 on Friday, as the New Zealander sits at 4-under for the championship.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Follow him on X @jack_milko.
