Impressive return by Korda

BELLEAIR, Florida — World No. 1 Nelly Korda made an impressive return from an eight-week break, firing a bogey-free seven-under-par 63 to trail first-round leaders Hye-Jin Choi and Minami Katsu by two strokes in The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican on Thursday.

Korda, a three-time winner at Pelican Golf Club, is chasing the final point she needs to qualify for the LPGA Tour Hall of Fame while seeking another strong finish in the final event of the regular season.

Choi and Katsu shared the lead at nine-under 61, with the former producing a career-low round and the latter posting her best score of the season.

Choi’s performance continued her impressive run over the past month. She finished runner-up at the Buick LPGA Shanghai and BMW Ladies Championship, having also held the first-round lead in Shanghai with a 64.

The South Korean credited her bogey-free performance to keeping the ball on the greens and avoiding costly mistakes.

“I really kept on the greens, so I made a bogey-free round,” Choi said.

Katsu, meanwhile, matched Choi with a flawless 61, recalling her previous success at Pelican, where she tied for seventh in 2023.

American Lindy Duncan moved within one stroke of the leaders after shooting a 62 highlighted by a hole-in-one at the par-three third. She used a six-iron from 163 yards to record the second ace of the day at the hole.

Allisen Corpuz had earlier made the first ace with another six-iron.

Duncan began her round with consecutive birdies before holing out for an eagle-one, giving her an unprecedented four-under start through three holes.

“The start was incredible. I’ve never been four-under through three, that’s for sure,” Duncan said.

Duncan also has plenty at stake, having started the week 74th in the Race to the CME Globe standings. Only the top 60 after this week’s tournament will qualify for the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship, which offers an $11-million purse.

Korda, meanwhile, showed little rust despite her lengthy absence, missing only one fairway and one green in her opening round.

She said regaining her competitive rhythm and trusting her game were the biggest challenges after the break.

“It feels great,” Korda said. “Definitely when you’re playing out and practicing there is not as much, I would say, pressure, but it was nice to kind of feel those juices flowing again.”

Ina Yoon, Nicole Broch Estrup, Julia Lopez Ramirez and Jing Yan shared fifth place at six-under 64.