The Sisters of Corda, who are sweeping the American Women’s Professional Golf (LPGA) tour, laid the cornerstone for the unprecedented’three consecutive sister wins’ challenge.
Nelli Corda, 23, ranked 3rd in the world, was held at the Golden Ocala GC (par 72/6526 yards) in Ocala, Florida, USA on the 5th (Korean time), the third drive-on championship of the LPGA Tour season (total prize of $1.5 million) In the first round, he scored 5 birdies without seeing and hit a 5 under par 67. Corda, who won the Gainbridge LPGA held last week, has a chance to win two weeks in a row with Jennifer Cupcho (23) and Austin Ernst (28) who hit 5-under par on the day.
Nelli, who played in a match against her sister Jessica Corda (28, the US), and Ko Jin-young (26), the world’s No. 1 player in the world rankings, solved the game by showing her tight performance. Nelly, who preheated while catching par from holes 1 to 4, reported her first buddy at hole 5 (par 3). In the 9th hole (par 4), Nelly continued to rise in the second half by catching a 4.5m birdie putt and reducing the number of strokes. In hole 10 (par 4), a chip shot from the rough 35m away from the pin was sucked into the hole and caught a birdie, and in hole 13 (par 4), a second shot was attached to the side of the hole 0.5m to succeed in tap-in birdie. Even in the 15th hole (par 3), Nelly ended the day with a flawless play, reducing his hand by sticking a tee shot at a distance of 1m from the pin. Jessica is also ready to enter the lead competition by hitting 3 under par 69. Jessica picked 6 buddies more than her brother Nelly, but added 1 double bogie and 1 bogie. Nelli said, “I took enough rest after winning last week, and I’m in good shape,” he said. “This is the first time I’ve played the first and second rounds with my sister, and I’m getting a lot of mental help.”
Sisters Corda dominate the LPGA tour this year. Jessica won the Diamond Resort Tournament of Champions in the opening game of the 2021 season, and Nelly became the champion in the second season’s Gainbridge LPGA. In March 2000, after the sisters of Anna Sorenstam (51, Sweden) and Charlotte (48), they won two consecutive sister titles after 21 years. If the Sisters Corda dominate this tournament, they will build the golden tower of winning three consecutive sisters in history.
Ko Jin-young, who had been playing against the Sisters of Corda, was completely defeated in a companion play. Ko Jin-young was sluggish with a 3-over par 75. He caught 3 buddies, but the iron shot swayed and 6 bogies down became poisonous. The hit rate on the green was only 61.1%, and the putting also missed the hole frequently. It is only 13 rounds since last December’s US Women’s Open 1st round 2nd over par that Ko Jin-young submitted the over-par score. Jeonin-in, 26, hit a 2-under-par 70, predicting that he would enter the top 10 in three consecutive competitions.
Reporter Kim Soon-shin [email protected]
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