Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images
The LPGA stayed in Florida for its first full field event of 2024. Nelly Korda and Lydia Ko took advantage with a hot start.
The LPGA is in Florida for a second week after beginning their season in Orlando. The ladies are in Bradenton, Fla., for the LPGA Drive on Championship. Coming off her big win last week, Lydia Ko is riding high.
She and Nelly Korda share the lead after the first round with each posting 6-under 65s. They took advantage of knowing Florida golf courses, even if this track is new to the Tour.
Korda lives in Bradenton and has played this course a few times.
“I played it a couple of months ago, but competitively, I haven’t played out here since 2016, so that’s been a long time,” Korda said. “I know they redid a few things. I would say staying below the hole, not hitting it over the green and getting into the swales on tough pins — just knowing where to miss. Every day the pins are different, so every day, you have to figure out where is your out, right?”
She didn’t seem to have too hard of a time on Thursday. Korda bogeyed the first hole but then got hot, making birdie on three of the next five. An eagle at the 8th and her fourth birdie on the front nine saw her go out in 31 strokes.
The back nine was more of a grind but an overall solid first day.
Ko had similar success Thursday. Her 65 included no bogeys and six birdies.
The Kiwi started on the back nine, where she made two birdies on the par-4 14th and par-5 17th. She closed strong, making four birdies in her last six holes.
“I played solid, and I honestly think my chip-in somewhere mid-round, mid-front nine, was a good momentum for me because that could have easily turned into a double,” Ko said.
She may have won last week in Orlando, but the New Zealander didn’t look fatigued. Instead, Ko took the confidence she earned last week and is running with it.
“It’s nice that we’re going from Florida to Florida,” Ko said. “It’s nice that we can play for a couple of weeks, and it’s a drive for me because I live in Orlando. Makes the start of the season stress-free, especially because the Asia Swing coming up.”
A lot of players have come into this week sluggish coming off a grueling win, but Ko has a way of handling that.
“I tried to take Monday off and not play so that I can see the golf course on Tuesday and make sure that I’m fresh,” Ko said. “I think it is always good to keep playing, but at the same time, try to find the balance of not doing too much as well.”
Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, be sure to follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.
