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Business Recorder
11-05-2025
- Sport
- Business Recorder
World No. 2 Jeeno Thitikul takes 1-shot lead into Americas' final round
Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand fired a 7-under-par 65 on Saturday to claim a 1-shot lead over France's Celine Boutier heading into the final round of the Mizuho Americas Open at windswept Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City, N.J. Seeking her first title since last November's CME Group Tour Championship, the 22-year-old Thitikul leapfrogged over Andrea Lee and Nelly Korda into the lead despite posting a double bogey during her round. The world's second-ranked golfer sits at 14-under 202 through 54 holes. 'I don't know how crazy I am playing out there with this strongest wind ever,' Thitikul said. 'Like, the strategies for today, I (was) just trying to keep it on the fairway and then on the green. I know it was going to be a really tough day and then I have to be patient out there.' Boutier posted a 6-under 66 to put herself in contention for her first titles since taking the Evian Championship and Women's Scottish Open back-to-back in the summer of 2023. 'It was definitely difficult,' Boutier said. 'The wind was so strong. I think I made a few really long putts today and yesterday, which normally doesn't happen that much. So I feel like that helped me out quite a bit.' Korda, the defending champion, and Lee started the day as co-leaders with South Korea's Somi Lee. Trio share lead at tight LA Championship While Somi Lee suffered through a 73 that put her seven shots off the pace, Korda and Andrea Lee each fired their third consecutive 68 on Saturday to place them just two shots behind Thitikul. Jason McDede, Korda's caddie, tried to rein in the world No. 1's expectations in the tough weather. 'I was walking out on the putting green and he said, 'Today, the word is acceptance,' ' Korda said. 'So you knew you were going to make some mistakes. I made one on the first hole (her lone bogey), but I bounced back pretty quickly and had a pretty solid day.' Yealimi Noh notched a 5-under 67 to move within three strokes of the lead while Spain's Carlota Ciganda is another shot behind in the wake of her third-round 69.
NBC Sports
23-04-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Nelly Korda looks to find winning form as she defends title at Chevron Championship
Nelly Korda won't ever forget her amazing run of five straight LPGA Tour victories, including the Chevron Championship, last year. The world's No. 1 player knows too well that none of that means a thing this week as she prepares to defend her title at the season's first major. Korda, 26, had a career year in 2024, winning seven events including five in a row last spring and was named the Rolex player of the year. 'What I achieved last year, no one can take that from me,' Korda said this week. 'That's always going to be such a great memory, but it's a fresh week and a fresh mindset.' Korda's game this year hasn't quite matched up with a season ago. She finished second at the Tournament of Champions to start the season in January, then added another top-10 finish a week later. But she has not yet found that dominating form as the LPGA Tour heads to Texas, with middle-of-the-pack performances in the past three events heading into The Club at Carlton Woods. Korda felt better about her iron play a week ago at the LA Championship, where she finished tied for 16th, seven shots behind rookie winner Ingrid Lindblad. Korda said her putting has come up short so far. 'Just need my putter to click a little bit more to make those putts,' she said. 'I think that's where it's been lacking, is the putts that I was making last year I'm just not making as many this year.' Korda will need to be on point in this one, which features 24 of the top 25 in the world rankings, including 2023 Chevron champion Lilia Vu and reigning Olympic gold medalist Lydia Ko, who won the HSBC Women's World Championship in Singapore earlier this season. Amy Rogers, Korda's not worried, knowing she eventually will get right with her game. 'That's just golf,' she said. 'I've gone through waves like this before and if I just continue working at it, hopefully, it does click.' It didn't take long for Lindblad to show off her impressive talent as an amateur golfer at LSU once she made it to the LPGA Tour, winning in her third career start. She'll try to make her second professional win a major. The 25-year-old from Sweden received texts of congratulation from women's golf greats Annika Sorenstam and Suzann Pettersen. Lindblad said Delta even waived the baggage fee for her on her flight into Houston. 'But I don't know if that was me or they did something wrong,' she said to laughter. Lindblad has played in nine majors as an amateur but never the Chevron. Her best finish came at the 2022 U.S. Women's Open, where she tied for 11th. That was a different time, she said, and she will try to tap into the way she played last week to perform well here. 'Obviously, like just got to keep trying to play my own game and do whatever I can to play well out there,' she said. Lilia Vu went from the champion's plunge in front of the 18th green after winning the Chevron Championship in 2023 to wondering if she'd ever play a round of pain-free golf again. Golf Channel Staff, She had to withdraw last year when painful back spasms flared up and she could barely hit a ball 40 yards on the driving range. 'I think last year, I was so much in panic with would I ever play a round of golf again, let alone a tournament round,' Vu said this week. 'Took two months off, and that was probably the hardest two months of my life because I love competing.' Vu said she reevaluated her entire routine, how she practiced and trained, focused on better posture and how to recover from a round and be ready for the next one. She steadily regained her form. She beat Lexi Thompson in a playoff last June in her first event back. She lost a playoff to Hoo Joo Kim at the Ford Championship last month. 'I would say I'm in a much better place than I was last year,' she said.
Fox Sports
23-04-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
World No. 1 Korda hopes to find her winning form as she defends her title at the LPGA's first major
Associated Press Nelly Korda won't ever forget her amazing run of five straight LPGA Tour victories, including the Chevron Championship, last year. The world's No. 1 player knows too well that none of that means a thing this week as she prepares to defend her title at the season's first major. Korda, 26, had a career year in 2024, winning seven events including five in a row last spring and was named the Rolex player of the year. 'What I achieved last year, no one can take that from me,' Korda said this week. 'That's always going to be such a great memory, but it's a fresh week and a fresh mindset.' Korda's game this year hasn't quite matched up with a season ago. She finished second at the Tournament of Champions to start the season in January, then added another top-10 finish a week later. But she has not yet found that dominating form as the LPGA Tour heads to Texas, with middle-of-the-pack performances in the past three events heading into The Club at Carlton Woods. Korda felt better about her iron play a week ago at the LA Championship, where she finished tied for 16th, seven shots behind rookie winner Ingrid Lindblad. Korda said her putting has come up short so far. 'Just need my putter to click a little bit more to make those putts,' she said. 'I think that's where it's been lacking, is the putts that I was making last year I'm just not making as many this year.' Korda will need to be on point in this one, which features 24 of the top 25 in the world rankings, including 2023 Chevron champion Lilia Vu and reigning Olympic gold medalist Lydia Ko, who won the HSBC Women's World Championship in Singapore earlier this season. Korda's not worried, knowing she eventually will get right with her game. 'That's just golf,' she said. 'I've gone through waves like this before and if I just continue working at it, hopefully, it does click.' Lindblad's run It didn't take long for Lindblad to show off her impressive talent as an amateur golfer at LSU once she made it to the LPGA Tour, winning in her third career start. She'll try to make her second professional win a major. The 25-year-old from Sweden received texts of congratulation from women's golf greats Annika Sorenstam and Suzann Pettersen. Lindblad said Delta even waived the baggage fee for her on her flight into Houston. 'But I don't know if that was me or they did something wrong,' she said to laughter. Lindblad has played in nine majors as an amateur but never the Chevron. Her best finish came at the 2022 U.S. Women's Open, where she tied for 11th. That was a different time, she said, and she will try to tap into the way she played last week to perform well here. 'Obviously, like just got to keep trying to play my own game and do whatever I can to play well out there,' she said. Vu's return Lilia Vu went from the champion's plunge into the Poppie's Pond pond in front of the 18th green after winning the Chevron Championship in 2023 to wondering if she'd ever play a round of pain-free golf again. She had to withdraw last year when painful back spasms flared up and she could barely hit a ball 40 yards on the driving range. 'I think last year, I was so much in panic with would I ever play a round of golf again, let alone a tournament round,' Vu said this week. 'Took two months off, and that was probably the hardest two months of my life because I love competing.' Vu said she reevaluated her entire routine, how she practiced and trained, focused on better posture and how to recover from a round and be ready for the next one. She steadily regained her form. She beat Lexi Thompson in a playoff last June in her first event back. She lost a playoff to Hoo Joo Kim at the Ford Championship last month. 'I would say I'm in a much better place than I was last year,' she said. ___ AP golf: in this topic
Associated Press
23-04-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
World No. 1 Korda hopes to find her winning form as she defends her title at the LPGA's first major
Nelly Korda won't ever forget her amazing run of five straight LPGA Tour victories, including the Chevron Championship, last year. The world's No. 1 player knows too well that none of that means a thing this week as she prepares to defend her title at the season's first major. Korda, 26, had a career year in 2024, winning seven events including five in a row last spring and was named the Rolex player of the year. 'What I achieved last year, no one can take that from me,' Korda said this week. 'That's always going to be such a great memory, but it's a fresh week and a fresh mindset.' Korda's game this year hasn't quite matched up with a season ago. She finished second at the Tournament of Champions to start the season in January, then added another top-10 finish a week later. But she has not yet found that dominating form as the LPGA Tour heads to Texas, with middle-of-the-pack performances in the past three events heading into The Club at Carlton Woods. Korda felt better about her iron play a week ago at the LA Championship, where she finished tied for 16th, seven shots behind rookie winner Ingrid Lindblad. Korda said her putting has come up short so far. 'Just need my putter to click a little bit more to make those putts,' she said. 'I think that's where it's been lacking, is the putts that I was making last year I'm just not making as many this year.' Korda will need to be on point in this one, which features 24 of the top 25 in the world rankings, including 2023 Chevron champion Lilia Vu and reigning Olympic gold medalist Lydia Ko, who won the HSBC Women's World Championship in Singapore earlier this season. Korda's not worried, knowing she eventually will get right with her game. 'That's just golf,' she said. 'I've gone through waves like this before and if I just continue working at it, hopefully, it does click.' Lindblad's run It didn't take long for Lindblad to show off her impressive talent as an amateur golfer at LSU once she made it to the LPGA Tour, winning in her third career start. She'll try to make her second professional win a major. The 25-year-old from Sweden received texts of congratulation from women's golf greats Annika Sorenstam and Suzann Pettersen. Lindblad said Delta even waived the baggage fee for her on her flight into Houston. 'But I don't know if that was me or they did something wrong,' she said to laughter. Lindblad has played in nine majors as an amateur but never the Chevron. Her best finish came at the 2022 U.S. Women's Open, where she tied for 11th. That was a different time, she said, and she will try to tap into the way she played last week to perform well here. 'Obviously, like just got to keep trying to play my own game and do whatever I can to play well out there,' she said. Vu's return Lilia Vu went from the champion's plunge into the Poppie's Pond pond in front of the 18th green after winning the Chevron Championship in 2023 to wondering if she'd ever play a round of pain-free golf again. She had to withdraw last year when painful back spasms flared up and she could barely hit a ball 40 yards on the driving range. 'I think last year, I was so much in panic with would I ever play a round of golf again, let alone a tournament round,' Vu said this week. 'Took two months off, and that was probably the hardest two months of my life because I love competing.' Vu said she reevaluated her entire routine, how she practiced and trained, focused on better posture and how to recover from a round and be ready for the next one. She steadily regained her form. She beat Lexi Thompson in a playoff last June in her first event back. She lost a playoff to Hoo Joo Kim at the Ford Championship last month. 'I would say I'm in a much better place than I was last year,' she said. ___ AP golf:
News.com.au
22-04-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Hannah Green is embracing expectation but not putting pressure on herself at the first major of 2025
Six years after her major breakthrough world No.5 Hannah Green is trying to avoid putting pressure on herself about winning a second having ridden the rollercoaster, from afar, as Rory McIlroy got a monkey off his back by winning the Masters. Green is one of seven Australians in pursuit of their share of the $12m prizemoney at the first women's major of 2025, The Chevron Championship in Houston, Texas, and carries a significant weight of expectation. A three-time LPGA tour winner in 2024 and the reigning Greg Norman medallist, Green, now 28, hasn't added to the PGA title she won in 2019, aged 22, and conceded she hasn't been able to get in done in the majors much since then. But as a two-time Olympian, and one of the most consistent week-to-week performers, Green is keen to find her best stuff when it matters most. 'It's probably the last three or four years I haven't really been able to do that,' Green said from the US on Tuesday. 'So when I look at it, just not completely through stats, I feel like I never get off to a good start in the tournament (at the majors) so I'm hoping that round one, if I am not having my best performance, I can kind of still keep myself into at least the weekend. 'But I know sometimes I feel like I put too much pressure on myself. 'Obviously, I'm coming into this major with probably one of the best rankings I've ever had, and probably more expectation from other people as well as myself. 'So I just want to make sure that I'm not putting too much pressure on myself.' But while Green doesn't want to put pressure on herself, she also said 'nerves are good', and having watched McIlroy recover from a shocking final hole in regulation to win in a playoff at Augusta took a solid lesson for her own game. 'It almost looked like he pulled off the harder shots and the easier shots he had he didn't,' she said. 'It goes to show how many tournaments you have won in your career you can get nervous. 'Hopefully I can experience those nerves one day, and hit good shots.' Green enters The Chevron coming off a top-10 finish at the LA Championship last weekend, an event she has won for the past two years and wants to take that momentum to Texas and the Carlton Woods Country Club. She has missed the cut at The Chevron for the past two years and knows what's needed to not suffer the same fate this week. 'I'm hoping I can get off to a better start, kind of wipe the slate, the bad memories that I perhaps have at this championship,' Green said. 'A new venue here in Houston and start fresh and have a good championship.' Green is joined in Houston by two-time major winner Minjee Lee, Steph Kyriacou, Gabriela Ruffels, Grace Kim, Hira Naveed and rising Sydney star Cassie Porter, on her major champion debut. The Chevron Championship The Club at Carlton Woods, The Woodlands, Texas 2024 champion: Nelly Korda Past Aussie winners: Karrie Webb (2000, 2006) Prize money: $12m
