NAPOLES, Fla. (AP) — Nalin Ang putted well through windy conditions Thursday, scoring four straight birdies around the turn to finish with an 8-under 64 and a one-stroke lead in the CME Group Tour Championship. Sixty competitors are competing for a $4 million winner’s prize, the largest one-day prize in women’s golf.
Nelly Korda has already added more victories to her stellar seven-win season. She faces an eight-stroke deficit over the next three days at Tiburon Golf Club if she wants to finish the year on a high.
Korda, who won last week, couldn’t make up for three bogeys and had to settle for an even-par 72. She has bounced back with four wins and still has 54 holes to go, but it’s about to get even tougher. It all looked easy for the 28-year-old South Korean, who has never won an LPGA tournament or finished in the top 10 in any of her 16 Grand Slam tournaments.
“My shooting was really good today,” Ms. Ahn said. \”The speed was good and the shape was good. I just try to focus a little bit more.\”
She had a one-shot lead over Angel Yin, who shot 30 on the back nine, including an eagle on the par-5 17th hole that most players can easily reach in two. Former U.S. Women’s Open champions Allysen Corpuz and Marina Alex posted scores of 66, while Lydia Ko led the field with a 67.
Despite typical Florida Gulf Coast winds, 27 players, nearly half the field, posted scores of 60. “This is a good start to the big prize that we’ll receive at the weekend,” Yin said.
Any player who wins this week is guaranteed to break the LPGA’s 17-year-old single-season winnings record. The record was set by Lorena Ochoa in 2007 and stood at $4,364,994, making the total prize money about half of what it is today. Ochoa earned $1 million for winning the 2007 Tour Championship. The first round came on the heels of the LPGA Tour’s big awards night, where Korda formally won her first Player of the Year award earlier this month.
Ko was recognized for her great year, highlighted by an Olympic gold medal and induction into the LPGA Hall of Fame. She found herself more focused heading into the first round against a field she won against just two years ago.
“The terrain’s not easy,” Coe said. \ “Today, I set the goal of drawing three Sue, and someone pulled 8 Sue. I told myself. You can draw a low score, so I just have my match plan and there. I’m trying to stick.
Switzerland Alben Balensuela is already celebrating a great year, starting with the Solheim Cup and the first appearance in the tour championship.
She made a late run at her first LPGA title last week at Pelican Golf Club, and kept up her form. And she can see the finish line, which is appealing. “Everyone’s focused on the $4 million price tag,” Valenzuela said. “I try not to focus so much on the outcome.” Up until now, I’ve always been obsessed with results, and in the end, all I can do is control my cycle, my energy, and my commitments.
“It’s the last week of the year. It’s kind of a bonus week. Anyway, everyone gets paid.”
