THE WOODLANDS, Texas — Haeran Ryu and Yan Liu every shot bogey-free 7-under 65 to share the lead in the course of the suspended first spherical of the Chevron Championship as top-ranked Nelly Korda struggled to a 77 on Thursday in her title protection.
The spherical was suspended late as a storm approached The Membership at Carlton Woods, with 24 gamers unable to complete.
Korda received the occasion final yr for the final of her 5 straight LPGA Tour victories and had hoped to rediscover that dominant kind within the season’s first main. As an alternative, she made bogeys on 4 straight holes and was 4-over par after six holes.
Korda added two extra bogeys on the again 9 and was 12 photographs behind the leaders and needing an enormous second spherical merely to make the reduce.
Ryu of South Korea and Liu of China had no such issues.
Ryu birdied 5 of her first 10 holes to maneuver in entrance and made her seventh birdie on her closing gap, the ninth.
Liu received occurring her again 9 with 4 birdies in a five-hole stretch. She, too, made a closing birdie to tie Ryu.
Hya Joo Kim was a shot behind the 2 leaders heading to her remaining gap, however took bogey on the 18th to complete with a 67.
The group at 68 included Ariya Jutanugarn, Hye-Jin Choi, Carlotta Ciganda, Manon De Roey and Brooke Matthews. Lucy Li additionally was 4-under par by 14 when play was suspended,
Amongst these unable to finish the spherical had been Lexi Thompson, who retired from full-time tour golf final yr, and LPGA rookie Ingrid Lindblad of Sweden, who received final week in Los Angeles in her third begin as an LPGA Tour member.
Thompson was at 1-over par along with her remaining gap, the ninth, remaining. Lindblad was at 2-over par along with her final gap, the 18th, to play. Lindblad had a triple-bogey 7 on the par-4 14th.
Ryu, with two profession LPGA Tour victories, modified putters halfway by final week’s event in Los Angeles, preferred the way it felt and continued with it in Texas.
Ryu stated she was extra comfy on the greens. She usually opened the face along with her former putter, Ryu defined, and was comfortable to make a number of difficult putts in her spherical. “It is actually good for me,” she stated.
Liu, searching for her first LPGA Tour win, was not comfortable along with her efficiency off the tee in Los Angeles final week and labored to get it corrected. “This week, I mounted my driver, so it feels very strong,” she stated.
Little was strong for Korda, who started her season with a pair of prime 10 finishes, however has not been as crisp as a yr in the past when she received seven occasions and was the Rolex Participant of the Yr.
When Korda walked off the 18th inexperienced following her spherical, she instructed a small group of media that she was headed again to work.
“I’ll go and apply and see the place it takes me,” she stated.
Korda is searching for her third profession main.
