Nelly Korda’s impressive form continued as she carded a 7-under 65, building a two-shot lead at the Ford Championship. Her performance marked her lowest 36-hole score on the LPGA Tour. Korda’s round came in the tougher afternoon conditions. Despite missing a short birdie putt on the 17th, Korda remained positive about her overall play.
“I have left a couple shots out there at the end,” Korda said. “But I’m playing really solid golf, and when I do make a mistake, I try not go let it faze me too much.”
Korda and Kim Battle for the Lead
Korda is at 16-under 128. Hyo Joo Kim, the defending champion in Phoenix, is two shots behind. Kim overcame early mistakes to post a 69. This will be the fourth straight round for Korda and Kim to play in the same group.
“Just getting sick of each other now,” Korda said with a laugh. “Yeah, she’s playing such solid golf. At the end of the day that’s something that motivates me to want to stay with her at that level. We’re just going back and forth, so it’s nice. At the end of the day we’re competitors, but we are very friendly. I’ve always enjoyed playing with her. I’m always mesmerized by her putting.”
Ko Remains in Contention
Lydia Ko, who shot a 60 in the first round, posted a 71 on Friday. She is three shots behind Korda along with Jenny Bae and Minami Katsu. Ko felt her putts weren’t dropping in the second round.
“I just didn’t really hole many putts today,” Ko said. “It’s obviously harder to get closer to the pins just playing in the afternoon and the greens being a little firmer. I think I struggled with a couple of the short ones. … But that’s golf, right? I can’t control everything. Yesterday was I think more of the surprise I think just shooting a score like that.”
Ko believes her game is heading in the right direction.
Other Notable Performances
Asterisk Talley, a 17-year-old amateur, shot a 65. She is six shots behind at 10 under. Talley will compete in the Augusta National Women’s Amateur next week.
The cut came at 5-under 135.