Nelly Korda is looking to finish her remarkable season on a high with an eighth LPGA Tour victory at the CME Group Tour Championship.
Korda won at The Annika last week after seeing off English star Charley Hull during the final round. However, the event was shrouded in controversy after both players complained about slow play.
Hull pitched a radical idea to combat slow play, and Korda supported Hull’s comments during her pre-tournament press conference.
Hopefully, discourse at this week’s Tour Championship at Tiburon will remain purely on golf, and Korda has work to do if she wants to end the season with a win.
Nelly Korda struggles at CME Group Tour Championship
- READ MORE: What the LPGA is now going to do after Charley Hull and Nelly Korda’s complaints about slow play
Korda carded a level-par 72 on day one and struggled to find her top form on Thursday. The world number one started with a birdie before dropping shots on the third and fourth.
Korda would pick up a shot on the eighth only to give it back on the 10th. A birdie on the par-five 17th prevented the 26-year-old from finishing the day over par.
An Na-rin currently leads the way on eight under after carding a bogey-free round in windy conditions. And Brandel Chamblee, speaking during Golf Channel’s coverage, said he was surprised by what he saw at Tiburon.
Brandel Chamblee shocked at CME Group Tour Championship
Chamblee initially admitted he thought mud balls and windy conditions would make life challenging for the LPGA stars.
“I thought mud balls were going to be a factor; they weren’t. I thought the wind would be a factor. You look at the top of the leaderboard, is it just perfect day out there with no wind,” the American said.
On Korda’s performance, Chamblee added: “The scores are much lower than I thought they were going to be, but the big surprise, if you look at the top ten in the world, the only two that didn’t manage to break par were the top two players in the world Lilia Vu and Nelly Korda.
“They’re even par; the last time I looked, they were T49, and that’s a long way to come back. It should be exciting if they do.”
Hull, who pushed Korda at The Annika, currently sits one shot worse off after carding a one-over 71 on Thursday.
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