Whereas world primary Nelly Korda is within the hunt for a shocking fifth straight victory, rising Australian star Gabriela Ruffels has made a powerful begin on the Chevron Championship, the primary girls’s golf main of the yr.
Rd 1 Leaderboard
Lauren Coughlin (USA) 6-underMinami Katsu (JPN) 4-underMarina Alex (USA)Â 4-underNelly Korda (USA) 4-underXiyu Lin (CHN) 3-underLydia Ko (NZL) 3-underGabriela Ruffels (AUS) 3-under
Different Australians
Sarah Kemp 2-underStephanie Kyriacou degree parKaris Davidson degree parRobyn Choi 1-overMinjee Lee 2-overGrace Kim 4-overHannah Inexperienced 5-overHira Naveed 6-over
American Lauren Coughlin posted a bogey-free 6-under-par 66 on Thursday (Friday AEDT) to take the early lead at The Membership at Carlton Woods in Texas, however white-hot Korda was joint second, simply two strokes behind.
Celebrating her twenty fourth birthday, Ruffels shot a 3-under 69 to be in a share of fifth place and the main Australian in a nine-player contingent.
Subsequent among the many Australians are Sarah Kemp (70), Steph Kyriacou and Karis Davidson (72) and Robyn Choi (73).
Former main winners Minjee Lee (74) and Hannah Inexperienced (77) have some work to do.
Ruffels, who’s now ranked world quantity 84 after being outdoors the highest 200 a yr in the past, has a robust file at this main, ending within the prime 25 thrice when it was primarily based at Mission Hills in California earlier than shifting to The Woodlands a yr in the past.
“This event has at all times been actually particular to me. I’ve had nice recollections from this event and hopefully I can have a great one this week too,” she stated.
“It is my birthday immediately so I used to be completely happy to have a great spherical — it felt tremendous strong.”
Beginning her day on the tenth, the Victorian shortly moved to three-under with birdies on three of her first six holes, earlier than handing again photographs with back-to-back bogeys on 16 and 17.
After one other birdie on the 18th, Ruffels’ second 9 was much less of a roller-coaster experience, with a bogey on the third offset by birdies on the sixth and ninth.
Coughlin, a 31-year-old ranked quantity 94 on the planet, has solely three top-10 finishes in her LPGA profession.
Together with her husband on the bag this week, Coughlin began the event birdie-birdie at holes 10 and 11 and wound up carding three birdies on all sides within the windy circumstances.
Coughlin was requested who she noticed as her major competitors getting into this week.
“I imply, Nelly, in fact,” Coughlin stated. “She’s all people’s competitors.”
Korda is attempting to win her second main after claiming the Girls’s PGA Championship in 2021, and be part of Nancy Lopez (1978) and Annika Sorenstam (2004-05) as the one girls to win 5 consecutive LPGA occasions.
The 25-year-old birdied 4 of her ultimate six holes to sit down alongside compatriot Marina Alex and Japan’s Minami Katsu.
Korda stated she was battling fatigue from latest tournaments firstly of her spherical, opening with a bogey on the par-4 tenth.
“I (might) undoubtedly nonetheless really feel perhaps a bit of little bit of tiredness, so it took me some time to get going,” she stated.
“I felt the nerves undoubtedly in the beginning of the spherical. As soon as I made the flip, I used to be simply enjoying free golf.”
Lilia Vu, final yr’s champion, withdrew simply earlier than her tee time attributable to an ongoing again harm.
“Some days are higher than others, and immediately was sadly not a great day,” the American stated in an announcement on Instagram.
“Throughout my regular warm-up routine, I had extreme discomfort in my again and I felt that I couldn’t compete as much as my requirements and made the choice to withdraw from the event forward of my tee time.”
AAP
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