Korda misses minimize once more after 81 at Ladies's PGA

SAMMAMISH, Wash. — Nelly Korda was despatched packing early once more Friday within the KPMG Ladies’s PGA Championship, one other surprising downfall after a dominating run.

A stroke behind first-round chief Lexi Thompson after a gap 3-under 69, the top-ranked Korda shot an 81 within the second spherical to overlook the weekend minimize by a stroke. In line with ESPN Stats & Info analysis, it was Korda’s worst 18-hole rating as an expert in her LPGA Tour profession and tied for her worst in any LPGA Tour spherical (two others got here as an newbie).

The spherical additionally was the best in a serious championship by a top-ranked participant because the inception of the rating in 2006.

Korda additionally missed the cuts within the U.S. Ladies’s Open — opening with an 80 — and the Meijer LPGA Basic in her previous two begins after successful six of seven occasions, a run that began with a record-tying 5 straight victories.

“It is simply golf just lately for me,” Korda stated. “No phrases for the way I’m enjoying proper now. I am simply going to go dwelling and attempt to reset.”

Whereas Korda struggled within the heat afternoon circumstances that sped up tree-lined Sahalee Nation Membership, Sarah Schmelzel and Amy Yang shared the lead at 6-under 136. Schmelzel had a 67 within the morning, and Yang shot 68 within the afternoon.

Korda bogeyed the primary 4 holes and likewise dropped strokes on Nos. 6 and 9 in a front-nine 42. She bogeyed Nos. 11 and 14, had a double bogey on the 15 and made her lone birdie of the day on 18.

Schmelzel, the 30-year-old Arizonan who winless in six seasons on the LPGA Tour, made a 10-foot birdie putt on the par-3 seventeenth gap and stayed aggressive on the par-5 18th, knocking her 3-wood wanting the inexperienced and chipping to a foot for a tap-in birdie and the low spherical of the championship.

“Simply staying actually affected person on the market and aggressive off the tee was sort of our sport plan this week,” Schmelzel stated. “I drove (the ball) very well, so luckily capable of benefit from having some shorter irons in at present.”

Yang is trying to find her first main title. Coping with a again problem, she had the one bogey-free spherical of the match.

The five-time LPGA winner had no hassle with the firmness of the poa annua greens within the afternoon, efficiently scrambling for par in all eight makes an attempt. She hit her 97-yard third shot on 18 to a foot to arrange a birdie.

“Fairways are so tight,” Yang stated. “It’s totally difficult on the market.”

Thompson (72) was two strokes again with fellow main champions Jin Young Ko (68), and Hinako Shibuno (70).

Beginning on the again 9, Thompson turned in 3 underneath 33 to achieve 7 underneath, however made a double bogey on the par-5 second gap. Her second shot missed left, forcing a punch-out, and he or she three-putted for a 7. Thompson dropped one other shot on the par-4 fourth.

The 29-year-old Thompson, who just lately introduced this season will likely be her final enjoying a full schedule, misplaced a playoff final week on the Meijer LPGA Basic. She hasn’t received on the LPGA Tour since June 2019.

“You are going to hit some dangerous photographs, possibly get penalized by the timber,” Thompson stated. “You simply must take your drugs with both pitching out or getting again into place.”

Hae Ran Ryu matched the low spherical of the match with a 67 to get to three underneath with Miyu Yamashita (70) and Leona Maguire (71),

“Course is firming up quite a bit,” Maguire stated. “It is dried out fairly a bit.”

Brooke Henderson, who received the Ladies’s PGA the earlier time it was performed at Sahalee in 2016, shot 72 and was 1 over.

The Related Press contributed to this report.