Jeeno Thitikul leads Minjee Lee by one shot after the opening day of the KPMG Ladies’s PGA Championship in Texas as world No 1 Nelly Korda made par with a neck damage.
Korda is barely 4 photographs off chief Thitikul, who made 4 beneath, after hurting her neck throughout follow for the third main of the 12 months throughout follow on Monday.
The American says whereas it doesn’t have an effect on her photographs, she suffers ache “simply with rotation” of her neck and it’s laborious to sleep comfortably.
“It is higher. Getting higher every single day, which is good. Simply because I injured it final 12 months, every time I do injure my neck it takes a bit bit longer than regular,” stated Korda.
“I sort of tweaked it earlier than my spherical with Ariya (Jutanugarn) in Vegas this 12 months, through the evening I could not transfer then, so fortunately it wasn’t as unhealthy as that day. It simply takes me like per week to sort of get well once I tweak my neck now.”
Korda late final 12 months skipped two tournaments through the LPGA’s Asia swing due to a minor neck damage, and that loss to Jutanugarn in match play was in April.
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Nelly Korda has solely gained two majors regardless of spending over 100 consecutive weeks at world No 1
Korda stated earlier this week that her neck “went right into a full spasm” after hitting a shot out of the tough throughout a follow spherical on the Fields Ranch East course at PGA Frisco on Monday, earlier than skipping the champions dinner that evening.
Within the first spherical of the season’s third main, Korda had two birdies and two bogeys and was in the identical group as world No 2 and chief Thitikul at 4 beneath 68.
“Total I imply, even par to begin the key. It was windier within the morning than I believed it could be,” stated Korda.
“So it performed a bit more durable. I am fairly pleased with my first spherical within the situations. “It was fairly windy. It was scorching. It positively takes a toll on you, the Texas warmth, so I am pleased with my place. I have not even actually regarded on the leaderboard, to be trustworthy.”
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Nelly Korda battled by means of neck ache to be simply 4 photographs off the lead
Korda opened with seven consecutive pars, together with on the 317-yard, par-4 seventh gap, the place she hit a 294-yard drive right into a valley simply in need of the inexperienced. Her preliminary pitch from there ricocheted off the sting of the inexperienced and rolled again down the slope to the place she was. Korda hit her subsequent shot to 2 toes and saved par.
On the par-3 eighth, Korda’s tee shot went over the inexperienced to arrange her first bogey. She bought free reduction after her strategy on the par-5 ninth went proper and settled subsequent to a brief construction, and she or he pitched to three-and-a-half toes and made the birdie putt.
Solely 15 of 156 gamers broke par, with no bogey-free rounds on a day when temperatures reached 33C at Fields Ranch East in Texas.
Behind chief Thitikul comes Australia’s Lee three beneath 69, then Haeran Ryu, Rio Takeda and Somi Lee drained in third on two beneath 70.
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US Ladies’s Open champion Maja Stark shot a 3 over 75 and defending champion Amy Yang completed with a 76.
Mimi Rhodes is the perfect of the English gamers on her main debut on the identical rating as Yang to enter the second spherical tied in 84th.
Charley Hull shot six over 78 and Jodi Ewart Shadoff is one other shot again down in tied one hundred and thirty fifth, so the three English gamers will look to make the reduce.
How can I watch reside on Sky Sports activities Golf?
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Sky Sports activities stays the house of the majors in 2025, with all 5 girls’s majors and all 4 males’s majors reside on Sky Sports activities Golf
Sky Sports activities will present prolonged protection from the KPMG Ladies’s PGA Championship, with second spherical on Friday from 4pm on Sky Sports activities Golf forward of a second session of reside protection at 11pm.
The motion reside on Saturday begins at 5.30pm on Sky Sports activities Combine and 6pm on the identical channel for Sunday’s remaining spherical.
This week’s main is one in every of three occasions reside on Sky Sports activities, with the PGA Tour’s Vacationers Championship – a Signature Occasion – and the closing rounds of the Novice Championship additionally obtainable to take pleasure in.
Who will win the KPMG Ladies’s PGA Championship. Watch all through the week reside on Sky Sports activities. Dwell protection begins Thursday from 4pm on Sky Sports activities Golf. Get Sky Sports activities or stream no contract on NOW.
