LPGA’s Jessica Korda fires 60; one off mark
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Danielle Kang played great, tying her career low with an 8-under-par 63 and protecting her lead Saturday in the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions.
Jessica Korda owned the day.
A sizzling 28 on the back nine — 9-under par — at Four Seasons Golf and Sports Club Orlando lifted Korda to an 11-under 60, just one shot off the LPGA Tour scoring mark.
Kang was at 21-under 192 through three bogey-free rounds. Her total tied an LPGA mark for raw score through 54 holes (shared by three others) and shattered the tournament’s 54-hole record (200). She will take a two-shot lead over Korda into today in what sets up as a terrific shootout for the LPGA’s season opener.
Kang leads Jessica Korda by two and Nelly Korda (67) by six. South Korea’s In Gee Chun (67) is fourth, eight shots back.
Jessica Korda, 27, is the older of the LPGA’s uber-talented sisters — younger sister Nelly, 22, is No. 4 in the women’s world ranking, just ahead of Kang. She followed a ho-hum start with birdies on six of her first seven holes on the second nine. She made an eagle on the 537-yard 17th hole, then added a ninth birdie at the challenging, water-guarded par-3 18th.
The slick downhill putt tumbled in on its last turn, giving Korda the tour’s first 60 since Paula Creamer in the 2008 Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic. Korda became the fifth LPGA player to ever shoot that number.
The round was one shot off the record of 59 by Annika Sorenstam nearly 20 years ago in Phoenix.
“I didn’t process what exactly was happening until I made that putt on 17,” Korda said. “I was like, ‘Oh, OK. That’s nice.’ … Days like today don’t come often, so you really cherish them when they do. Everything has to come together to have a day like today.”
Clarke wins
LA’UPULEHU-KONA, Hawaii — Darren Clarke won the Mitsubishi Electric Championship by two strokes for his second straight PGA Tour Champions victory, playing the back nine in 6 under in a closing 8-under 64.
The 52-year-old former British Open winner from Northern Ireland started the backnine run with birdies on Nos. 10-11, added two more on 13 and 14, made a 10-foot par save on 15 and birdied 16 and 17. He parred the 18th to cap the bogey-free round in the first event of the year for the 50-and-older tour.
Clarke finished at 21-under 195 at Hualalai Golf Course. He won the TimberTech Championship in early November in his final start last year.
Retief Goosen, who was tied for the second-round lead with Jerry Kelly, closed with a 64 to finish second. Kelly had a 68 to finish third at 17 under.
Three share PGA lead
LA QUINTA, Calif. — Max Homa has been tearing up the Stadium Course at The American Express for two days. If he can do it one more time, the Southern California native could be raising a PGA Tour trophy for the second time in his career.
Homa made nine birdies and shrugged off a double bogey on the way to a 7-under 65 in the third round at PGA West, joining Tony Finau and Si Woo Kim atop the leaderboard at 15-under 201 after both of them shot a 67. Richy Werenski also shot a 65 and moved within a shot of the lead.
Baylor School graduate Luke List (68) was tied for 13th at 11 under.