Perhaps world No. 1 Nelly Korda does have a weakness.
Can it be chilly weather?
Last Sunday at Lake Nona, Nelly struggled in the cool air during the final 18 holes. The slow play (foursomes, including two celebrities) didn’t help either.
This week, the LPGA Tour heads south and east to Boca Raton where Nelly is the defending champion at the Gainbridge. She won the event last year at the venue the Tour just left — Lake Nona. This week’s course at Boca Rio, not far from Nelly’s home. The weather forecast is fine for Thursday and Friday but on Saturday, another cool front will sweep across the state and temperatures will once again drop and winds will whip up, perhaps in the 20 mile-per-hour range for the third round.
For Sunday’s final 18, it will still be cool and the winds may diminish — a bit.
This week’s stop is the second of three straight Florida events — the third will be next week at the Drive-On in Ft. Myers.
Last week Korda was the 54-hole leader after rounds of 68-66-69. Popular belief was she’d simply close the deal with another sub-70 round last Sunday but that didn’t happen. She went 15 holes without a birdie then finally got one on the short par five 15. There would be no late rally from her as she promptly bogeyed 16 and 17 to finish three-over for the day, 10-under for the tournament and tied for fourth with Celine Boutier.
“I was freezing,” Korda said after she was finished. “I always get colder than it actually is. I’ve always said that. That’s why I stay away from tournaments that are always in the cold, because I struggle so much in it. I don’t know why. I feel so stiff. Something I just need to suck up and mentally trick myself. But, yeah, I struggle in the cold.”
The cold didn’t affect winner Daniel Kang. She had the best score on Sunday among the top 10 — a four-under par 68. In the process, she blew past early leader Gabby Lopez, who had a good front nine but struggled coming home. She shot even par, fell back to 12-under and allowed Brooke Henderson to finish solo second with a closing 70.
There won’t be any celebrities slowing play this week. With a field of 120, it’s the first full-field event of 2022 for the LPGA Tour. Seven of the world’s top 10 players will be in the field and there will be a Hall Of Fame player returning after a two year absence from competition. This week marks the return of Australia’s Karrie Webb.
Television Broadcast Times:
Thursday, Friday, Saturday: The Golf Channel: 11:30 a.m (EST)-2:30 p.m. (EST)
Sunday: The Golf Channel: 3 pm (EST) -5 pm (EST)
