ORLANDO, Florida – There’s a tour event happening on Nelly Korda’s home course this week, but she’s not playing in it. While 22-year-old Korda leads the LPGA event at Lake Nona, the PGA Tour has taken over her home course, The Concession, in Bradenton, Florida.
“I call it ‘Concussion,’ ” said Korda. “That’s what I call it out there. Either you’re riding on a high with your confidence, or you’re at a major low.”
Right now Korda is riding a high at Nona, pacing a stacked board at 13 under after carding rounds of 67-68-68. For the record, her best round at Concession is 6-under 66.
Korda’s older sister Jessica, who turned 28 on Friday, won the first LPGA event of the season. She’s six strokes back at 7 under.
“I told her she got a little sweet surprise back at her place,” said Nelly, who is looking to win her fourth career LPGA title and first on American soil.
Gainbridge LPGA: Leaderboard
Rookie Patty Tavatanakit trails Korda by one shot after carding a third-round 66 that included four birdies over the last five holes. She has her coach, former PGA Tour winner Grant Waite on the bag this week and next. They focus on “what’s good enough, good and great,” a mental technique that helps keep her positive.
“There were a lot of great shots,” she said of Saturday’s play.
World No. 1 Jin Young Ko, who headlines a group at 10 under, spent 20 minutes with her short game coach, Gareth Raflewski, on Friday after carding a 72 that included 34 putts. They quickly addressed an old habit of Ko’s and got her back on track. She had 29 putts in Saturday’s round.
“Instead of rotating around her spine angle, she was tilting up and down like a see-saw, which a lot of people think is the right way to putt,” said Raflewski. “But when you’re tilting up and down like that it moves your head a lot. It also makes your right arm get very long in your backswing, which shuts the face. And then on the way through you have to do something to compensate, so you have to kind lift your left shoulder up and poke your left elbow out just to manage the clubface. It’s very inefficient for start line.”
The pair have worked together for three years, but this week is the first they’ve spent time together in person since 2019 due to the pandemic.
Ko also credited her caddie, David Brooker, for giving her added motivation with a dinner bet. If she shot 4 under or better he’d buy take-out and deliver it.
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Ko shot 66 to pull within a share of third and seeks to win her second consecutive title, dating back to the 2020 CME Group Tour Championship in late December.
Angel Yin carded the day’s low round, a 7-under 65, to climb join Ko at 10 under while Lexi Thompson birdied her last three holes and trails by four along with Chella Choi.
Round 3 wasn’t the best day for the two Nona residents who dominated early-week coverage. Lydia Ko held the lead heading into the weekend but dropped to three shots back after an even-par 72.
Annika Sorenstam, who made the cut at age 50 in her first LPGA start since 2008, struggled to a 79.
“I think I’ll go hit some balls after lunch and figure out why I’m spinning the ball in different directions,” said Sorenstam. “Normally I hit the ball straight and today was everything but straight.
“It’s hard to play this golf course when it’s windy and when you have some rough, so maybe I have to tweak my swing a little bit. Not really sure what to tweak at the moment.”
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