A Lim Kim’s staying power at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions is turning heads. She posted a 69 at Lake Nona on Friday, keeping her lead despite a more uneven performance than her flawless opening round. At 10-under 134, she’s built a three-shot cushion over Linn Grant and sits four clear of Nelly Korda.
Kim mixed six birdies with three bogeys – quite different from Thursday’s clean card. Grant’s 67 put her in solo second, while Korda made a serious move with her own 67 after a sluggish start to the tournament.
Korda, fresh off a seven-win season that included her second major, seems to be finding her groove. She was treading water at even par through 22 holes before catching fire, playing her final 14 holes in 6-under.
Name
Events
Top 10
Money
“There’s no better tournament than this to come back,” Korda said about the LPGA’s season opener. “It’s more easygoing, playing with someone like Kevin Millar and Derek Lowe where you’ve known them for so long. This is my sixth year here so friendships have formed.”
Speaking of Lowe, the former MLB pitcher came to Korda’s rescue when a fan proposed marriage to her. “D Lowe shut him right down,” Korda laughed. “I didn’t say anything and he was like, ‘Bud, I think that was a no.’ He was like, ‘Did I speak out of turn?’ I was like, ‘No, that was a great answer.'”
Rio Takeda and Leona Maguire both shot 68s to join Korda four shots off the pace. Defending champion Lydia Ko made a putter switch that paid off – after opening with 73, she went back to last year’s flatstick and responded with a 67.
“Obviously it’s not the putter’s fault. It’s all the puttee’s fault,” Ko said. “Coming back to something familiar that I’ve putted well with was a good change for me.”
In the celebrity portion, former NHL star Joe Pavelski leads by a point over tennis player Mardy Fish. Derek Lowe, Mark Mulder, and Jeremy Roenick are lurking just two points back.
