– The duel between Nelly Korda and Hyo Joo Kim in the third round of the Ford Championship lasted exactly nine holes Hasta that point it was a beautiful exchange of birdies and great shots. The Korean, with a four-under spell, managed to draw level with an American who was marching steadily at two under par. A spectacular head-to-head had been promised and it did not disappoint
However, everything changed from the 10th hole. Hyo Joo Kim caught fire. She produced a breathtaking five-under run between holes 10 and 13 and opened up a serious gap on the leaderboard. From being level she went to a four-shot lead, a more than healthy cushion that she maintained to the end with two more birdies
The Korean golfer, winner last week of the Founders Cup, posted an astonishing round of 61, her lucky number, and set a new all-time record on the LPGA Tour. Her total of 191 strokes (-25) is the lowest in the history of the circuit after 54 holes Not only that, she beats the previous mark by seven shots. Impressive. In fact, the second-best record in history right now is Nelly Korda’s (-21) with 195. Madness
It is true that the Cattail course of the Whirlwind Golf Club has allowed scoring, offering plenty of birdie chances each day, but the reality is that Kim and Korda, the Arizona double K, are playing on another level. Third place is shared by Mimi Rhodes, Lydia Ko, Chisato Iway, Minami Katsu and Ina Yoon at a total of -16. A good score with 18 holes to play, but light years behind the top two
That said, the final round will again be a head-to-head between Kim and Korda, with a clear advantage for Kim. The Korean has an affinity for shooting 61s since she fired one in the first round of the Evian Championship in 2014, a round that helped steer her to victory in that Major, in her first tournament on the LPGA Tour. That is how this player, who is now 30 and has seven wins on the American circuit, made her name. She also shot 61 last week in the Founders Cup victory, and today’s is her second 61 of the week. Her favourite number. We’ll see if the four-shot advantage is enough or if Nelly Korda can mount a comeback
– As for the Spaniards, Julia López (-10) carded a very good 67 in the third round, although it may not look that impressive given how those at the top are playing, and she has moved into the top 30. She is four shots off a top-ten finish. Meanwhile, Carla Tejedo (-8) had her first over-par round on the LPGA Tour and has lost a lot of ground on the leaderboard. She still has the final round to make up ground
