ORLANDO, Fla. – A Lim Kim made sufficient birdies in an up-and-down second spherical to take care of a cushion between herself and top-ranked Nelly Korda on Friday on the Hilton Grand Holidays Match of Champions, the LGPA Tour season opener.
Kim shot 69 at Lake Nona for a two-day complete of 10-under 134, making six birdies and three bogeys after her bogey-free opening spherical. That was good for a three-shot lead over Linn Grant (67) and 4 photographs higher than Korda, who was even par for the match by her first 22 holes however shot 6 below from there for a 67.
“There is no such thing as a higher match than this match to type of come again,” mentioned Korda, referring to the pro-am format that features athletes and celebrities. “New season, it’s extra easygoing, enjoying with somebody like Kevin Millar and (Derek) Lowe the place you’ve identified them for therefore lengthy. That is my sixth 12 months enjoying this occasion so friendships have shaped.”
Lowe, a former main league pitcher, additionally helped out when a fan proposed marriage to Korda.
“D Lowe shut him proper down,” Korda mentioned. “I didn’t say something and he was like, ‘Bud, I feel that was a no.’ He was like, ‘Did I communicate out of flip?’ I used to be like, ‘No, that was an excellent reply.’”
Korda is coming off a seven-win season that included her second main championship.
Rio Takeda (68) and Leona Maguire (68) additionally had been 4 photographs again.
Defending champion Lydia Ko, whose 4 wins in 2024 included an Olympic gold medal and the Girls’s British Open at St. Andrews, used a brand new putter in her opening-round 73. She returned final 12 months’s putter to the bag on Friday, shot 67 and was six photographs again.
“Clearly it’s not the putter’s fault. It’s all of the puttee’s fault,” Ko mentioned. “It’s simply having a troublesome spherical on the greens to return again to one thing that I’m conversant in and I do know that I’ve putted nicely with, was I feel a very good change for me.”
Former NHL participant Joe Pavelski led the celeb leaderboard, one level forward of Mardy Fish. Lowe, Mark Mulder and Jeremy Roenick had been two factors again.
___
AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
Copyright 2025 The Related Press. All rights reserved. This materials is probably not revealed, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed with out permission.