KPMG Girls’s PGA Championship: Jeeno Thitikul leads as Nelly Korda makes par with neck damage after opening day | Golf Information
Jeeno Thitikul leads Minjee Lee by one shot after the opening day of the KPMG Girls’s PGA Championship in Texas as world No 1 Nelly Korda made par with a neck damage.
Korda is barely 4 pictures off chief Thitikul, who made 4 beneath, after hurting her neck throughout follow for the third main of the yr throughout follow on Monday.
The American says whereas it doesn’t have an effect on her pictures, she suffers ache “simply with rotation” of her neck and it’s exhausting to sleep comfortably.
“It is higher. Getting higher on daily basis, which is good. Simply because I injured it final yr, every time I do injure my neck it takes a little bit bit longer than regular,” mentioned Korda.
“I type of tweaked it earlier than my spherical with Ariya (Jutanugarn) in Vegas this yr, throughout the night time I could not transfer then, so fortunately it wasn’t as unhealthy as that day. It simply takes me like every week to type of get better once I tweak my neck now.”
Korda late final yr skipped two tournaments throughout the LPGA’s Asia swing due to a minor neck damage, and that loss to Jutanugarn in match play was in April.
Nelly Korda has solely gained two majors regardless of spending over 100 consecutive weeks at world No 1
Korda mentioned 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 night time.
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.
“General I imply, even par to begin the most important. It was windier within the morning than I assumed it might be,” mentioned Korda.
“So it performed a little bit harder. I am fairly pleased with my first spherical within the situations. “It was fairly windy. It was scorching. It undoubtedly takes a toll on you, the Texas warmth, so I am pleased with my place. I have never even actually seemed on the leaderboard, to be trustworthy.”
Nelly Korda battled by means of neck ache to be simply 4 pictures 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 wanting 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 received free reduction after her strategy on the par-5 ninth went proper and settled subsequent to a brief construction, and he or she 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.
US Girls’s Open champion Maja Stark shot a 3 over 75 and defending champion Amy Yang completed with a 76.
Mimi Rhodes is the most effective 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 lower.
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Sky Sports activities will present prolonged protection from the KPMG Girls’s PGA Championship, with second spherical on Friday from 4pm on Sky Sports activities Golf forward of a second session of stay protection at 11pm.
The motion stay 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 considered one of three occasions stay on Sky Sports activities, with the PGA Tour’s Vacationers Championship – a Signature Occasion – and the closing rounds of the Newbie Championship additionally obtainable to take pleasure in.
Who will win the KPMG Girls’s PGA Championship. Watch all through the week stay on Sky Sports activities. Reside protection begins Thursday from 4pm on Sky Sports activities Golf. Get Sky Sports activities or stream no contract on NOW.