Lee6 takes lead, but Korda gets start she wanted
Player of the Year prize is at stake
NAPLES, Fla. — On a course she didn’t expect, Nelly Korda delivered the round she needed with a 6-under 66 that left her two shots out of the lead Thursday and gave her a good start toward winning LPGA Tour player of the year.
The $1.5 million prize for winning the CME Group Tour Championship is in range, too.
Former U.S. Women’s Open champion Jeongeun Lee6 didn’t make a birdie on rainsoftened Tiburon Golf Club until the sixth hole, and then she didn’t stop. She finished with three straight birdies for an 8-under 64.
Lee6 had a one-shot lead over four players, including past Tiburon winner Sei Young Kim. Scoring was so low that 18 players were at 67 or better.
The 60 players who qualified for the season finale have the same chance to win the $1.5 million prize, the largest in women’s golf, regardless of their standing in the Race to CME Globe.
The more compelling race is the points-based award for LPGA player of the year, which is down to Korda and Jin Young Ko, each with four victories. Korda has a 10-point lead, meaning Ko would have to be runner-up to have a chance.
The South Korean star has some catching up to do after a 69 left her in a tie for 25th, especially with Korda looking as sharp as she has for so much of the year.
“I gave myself some good looks inside 10 feet,” Korda said. “Two ‘oopsies’ with three-putts, but I think I hit the majority of the greens and gave myself some really good looks. … Hopefully, I can carry it into the next three days.”
Hannah Green of Australia, who already picked up $1 million this week for winning the Aon Risk-Reward Challenge bonus program, took a step toward even more cash by joining Korda in the group at 66, along with U.S. Women’s Open champion Yuka Saso.
Ko and Korda played in the final group, based on Race to CME Globe standings.
PGA: In St. Simons Island, Ga., Sebastian Munoz saw the tough weather conditions on the way to the RSM Classic and figured all he could do was keep his head down and make birdies. He wound up with a 10-under 60 to shatter his career round by six shots.
Scoring was so low Thursday at Sea Island that all that got Munoz was a one-shot lead. The Colombian, who won his first PGA Tour event just over a year ago, led by one stroke over Sea Island member Zach Johnson at Seaside, while three players were one shot behind to par. Past champion Mackenzie Hughes, Chez Reavie and Scott Stallings each had a 9-under 63 on the Plantation course.
Four players were tied at 8 under, led by Canadian Corey Conners (62 at Seaside). Jhonattan Vegas, Talor Gooch and Russell Henley shot 64 at Plantation.
EUROPEAN TOUR: In Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Rory McIlroy shot 7-under 65 Thursday for a two-stroke lead after the first round at DP World Tour Championship, the season-ending event on the European Tour.
Fresh off his 20th career victory on the PGA Tour, the former No. 1 opened birdie-eagle. He wasn’t one of the six players who arrived at Jumeirah Golf Estates still with a chance of finishing the season as European No. 1. Collin Morikawa, the leader of the Race to Dubai, is looking good for that title after opening with a 68.
McIlroy has an eye on bigger prizes, like a first major since 2014.
“Getting into contention in one major this year isn’t good enough for me — I’ve done way better than that before and I know I can again, especially with how I am playing,” the four-time major winner said. “I’m feeling like I’ve got my golf game back, basically.”