Nelly Korda is making her move at the season finale.
After going winless through 19 tournaments this year, Korda fired an 8-under 64 Friday at Tiburon Golf Club to grab the clubhouse lead at the CME Group Tour Championship. It’s a stark contrast to her seven-win campaign last season, but the timing couldn’t be better for the world-class talent to find her form.
Korda sits at 9 under overall, one shot clear of Jennifer Kupcho and Minjee Lee, who were still on the course when Korda finished her round.
What makes this performance notable is how quickly Korda turned things around after Thursday’s frustrating 1-under 71, which left her seven shots off the pace.
“I just saw a lot of burned edges and kind of lip-outs,” Korda said about her opening round in Naples, Florida.
Rather than dwell on it, she headed straight to the practice green. After just five minutes of seeing putts drop, she left with renewed confidence. That quick session paid immediate dividends.
“Coming back out here this morning, you know, the conditions were great. The wind wasn’t really that strong. Was able to be really aggressive after a lot of these pins and rolled some putts in,” she explained.
Friday’s round was a ball-striking clinic. Korda hit all 14 fairways and reached 16 of 18 greens in regulation. Her putter cooperated too, requiring just 26 strokes while delivering nine birdies against a lone bogey.
The equipment change might be making a difference. Korda put new irons in her bag at last week’s Annika tournament, seeking more spin control.
“It’s always nice to bounce back after a little bit of a frustrating round where you think you played better than you scored. It’s nice to score well the next day,” she said.
This isn’t the first time Korda has surged in the second round recently. At the Annika, she followed a 71 with a 63, but couldn’t maintain that momentum on the weekend, finishing tied for 15th after rounds of 68-69.
With 36 holes remaining, Korda will need to keep her foot on the gas to avoid going winless for the season. But the way she’s striking the ball now, this could be perfect timing for her breakthrough victory.
