BELLEAIR, Fla. (AP) — Two months later, Nelly Korda didn't miss a beat. She played bogey-free Thursday at The Annika and opened with a 7-under 65 to trail Minami Katsu and Hye-Jin Choi by two shots in her first competition since the Solheim Cup.
“It was nice to kind of feel those juices flowing again, especially playing with Hye-Jin who just had a great round today,” Korda said.
She already has clinched LPGA player of the year based on points, and Korda can qualify for the LPGA Hall of Fame with a victory in one of the final two events of the season.
Choi, coming off a strong Asia swing that included a pair of runner-up finishes, is looking for her first LPGA title in five years as a member. Her game traveled well from Asia to the Gulf Coast of Florida, with birdies on half her holes for 63.
Katsu played in the afternoon and ran off three straight birdies late in her round to catch Choi at 63. Lindy Duncan was another shot behind with a 64 on a day of low scoring at Pelican Golf Club.
Choi said she can struggle with the Florida grass, especially around the greens. That wasn't a problem Thursday, when she hit 17 greens in regulation.
“I didn’t really have like make big mistakes,” she said. “I finished really well and I’m really satisfied about making bogey-free round.”
Katsu also played bogey-free as she tries to become the sixth Japanese player to win on the LPGA Tour this year.
So much attention was on Korda, the No. 1 player in women's golf who captured two majors early in the season. Her last tournament was the FM Championship outside Boston and then the Solheim Cup, where Korda went 2-1-1 in an American loss in the Netherlands.
And then it was time to rest.
“I needed to take that break, and right after Solheim I was burned out,” Korda said. “I just needed to mentally step away for a few days.”
She typically skips the Asia swing, early and late in the year, and then gears up for the final two LPGA events in Florida.
Korda has four wins this year, but not since the big one — her first U.S. Women's Open title in early June at Riviera. She leads the Race to CME Globe, although next week at the Tour Championship any of the 60 players in the field can become the season champion who gets a $2 million prize.
Also at stake for Korda this week is a chance to surpass Annika Sorenstam, the tournament host, on the career money list. The big carrot is the Hall of Fame, even if she says it's not on her mind.
“Is the Hall of Fame something I’m really looking at? Not at all. I mean, I’m just focusing on being competitive and trying to give it my all,” Korda said. “The accolades are great. I’m honored to even be in that position. Honored to be the player of the year.
“What drives me is the competitive tournament that I’m in currently,” she said. “I want to do the best that I possibly can where I currently am.”
Solheim Cup player Julia Lopez Ramirez of Spain was among four players at 66, while three more players from Europe's winning team — Leona Maguire, Carlota Ciganda and Lottie Woad — were at 65.
___
