Nelly Korda mounted an impressive comeback Saturday at The Annika, cutting Charley Hull’s six-shot lead down to just one heading into Sunday’s final round.
Hull finished the day at 12-under after a 2-under 68 at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Florida. But it wasn’t exactly how she wanted to end things.
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Playing in near darkness, Hull hit her approach shot into the water on 18, managing to salvage a bogey that kept her one shot ahead of Korda and Zhang Weiwei.
“I could barely see the hole,” Hull said about her final putt. “I couldn’t see the break or anything. It was pretty dark to finish in.”
Korda, the world’s top-ranked women’s golfer and newly crowned LPGA Player of the Year, had her own struggles with the fading light. She three-putted the final hole for a bogey that left her with a 67.
The day started rough for Korda with two bogeys in her first four holes. But she turned things around in spectacular fashion, draining a massive 45-foot birdie putt on the eighth hole followed by another long one from 35 feet on the ninth.
Zhang shot the day’s best round, a sizzling 62 that put her in a tie with Korda at 11-under. It couldn’t have come at a better time – she’s currently No. 106 in the season standings and needs to crack the top 100 to keep her LPGA card for next year.
“Just felt it’s an amazing day,” Zhang said.
The slow pace of play and fading daylight left both Hull and Korda frustrated about finishing in darkness.
“It’s kind of hard when you don’t really see,” Korda said. “Whenever you’re sitting on 18 and the sun is already down, it’s never nice. Especially with how slick these greens are.”
There’s more than just the tournament title on the line this week. The top 60 players in the season standings will advance to next week’s CME Group Tour Championship, where the winner takes home a whopping $4 million prize.
Alexa Pano, who started the day in contention, stumbled with three straight bogeys early on. Her 72 dropped her seven shots off the lead and, more importantly, knocked her outside the crucial top 60.
German player Olivia Cowan sits in sixth place after a 65, four shots behind Hull. Like Zhang, she’s fighting for her tour card – currently at No. 116, she needs a strong finish to stay on tour next year.
The stage is set for an exciting Sunday showdown between Hull and Korda, with Zhang joining them in the final group looking to save her season.
