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Alexander: LPGA’s LA Open provides…

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Wednesday, January 15th 2025

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Alexander: LPGA’s LA Open provides thrills and spills

Jessica Korda held, lost and regained the lead during the third round at Wilshire Country Club

Jessica Korda tees off at the fifth hole during the third round of the LPGA’s Hugel-Air Premia LA Open on Friday at Wilshire Country Club. Korda rode out a series of big momentum shifts Friday to hold onto the lead to take a one-stroke lead into Saturday’s final round. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Jessica Korda tees off at the fifth hole during the third round of the LPGA’s Hugel-Air Premia LA Open on Friday at Wilshire Country Club. Korda rode out a series of big momentum shifts Friday to hold onto the lead to take a one-stroke lead into Saturday’s final round. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
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Jessica Korda tees off at the ninth hole during the third round of the LPGA’s Hugel-Air Premia LA Open on Friday at Wilshire Country Club. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

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It was a boat race. Until it wasn’t. And at the end of the day Jessica Korda still led the LPGA’s Los Angeles tour stop, but how she ended up there was quite the adventure.

Korda birdied her first three holes at Wilshire Country Club and extended her lead in the HUGEL-Air Premia Open from three shots to six when world No. 1 Jin Young Ko bogeyed No. 3.

Ten holes later, Ko had wiped out that lead and was in front of Korda by a shot, even after having bogeyed 10 and 11. Six birdies on the front, and three more on Nos. 13, 14 and 15 had Ko leading by two shots.

And then Korda birdied three of the last four holes, including 17 and 18, and positioned herself for a 3-foot birdie putt on the par-3 18th that gave her back the lead. Ko had to curl in a 30-footer just to save bogey, after hitting her tee shot over the green and then failing to navigate the bank and having her second shot roll back to her.

“I haven’t practice from that lie so I had no idea how to get to the green from here,” she said. “But (the) lie wasn’t good really, like no grass … it was like just cart path, so it was hard. But I had (a) good putt, so I’m happy.”

Was this a schizophrenic round? Or just a perfect setup for Saturday’s final round?

Korda will enter the day at 16-under. Ko is a shot behind after shooting a 66; she and Morgan Pressel had the day’s low rounds, despite Ko’s adventures on 18. Canadian Brooke Henderson will fill out Saturday’s final group; she got to 12-under by shaking off a double-bogey on 6 and firing birdies on six of the final 12 holes for a respectable 67. She, too, could have had a 66 but just missed a 7-foot birdie putt on 18.

“I think when you have bad holes like (No. 6) it’s really important to just stay patient and keep doing what you’re doing,” Henderson said. “I didn’t really do anything wrong. I just kind of let one shot got away from us and ended up making a big number. So, (I) just tried to stay in the moment and continue to hit good shots. I think it’s really important to try to get birdies back right away, and (it was) really nice we were able to do that.”

Korda, trying to become the first multiple-event winner of the year on the LPGA Tour, set the event’s 54-hole scoring record with her 68 on Friday, after smashing the 36-hole mark by carding a 64 and a 65 the first two days. By way of perspective, this event began in 2018 and wasn’t played last year, so this is just its third staging. Still, a record is a record.

She won the initial tournament of 2021, the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, in late January. It was her sixth tour victory overall but her first since February of 2018, when she won the Honda LPGA Thailand less than three months after major reconstructive jaw surgery.

She told an interviewer after the Tournament of Champions that she hadn’t expected to be holding the winner’s trophy that soon. She was asked Friday if this was a surprise.

“I’m just trying to be patient,” she said. “You know, it’s tough. It’s tough to win out here. Still have 18 holes left and I just want to give myself an opportunity to win. I think if I give myself an opportunity I’m in a really good position. If I can do that week in, week out, I’m just consistent.”

Patience was absolutely a virtue, especially playing in the same group with Ko and actually seeing her lead disappear, rather than watching (or ignoring) the scoreboard.

“Honestly, you’re just kind of minding your own business,” she said. “Both her and Sei Young (Kim, who had three bogeys and two double bogeys en route to a 76) were hitting so many great shots, especially on the front nine. (Ko) made some long putts, too, like the clutch putt on 18. She played some great golf today and made a ton of birdies. Like I said, at one point she only had three pars on the scorecard through 15 holes, so that was just insane.”

Which she helpfully pointed out to Ko.

“Jess told me, You got just three pars on the front nine, so I didn’t know that,” Ko said. “So I saw my scorecard after (the) round, Oh, yeah, I got just three pars on the front nine.”

And Ko said her plan for the day Friday was just “following Jessica, and she (played) really well today. So, well, keep it up for tomorrow.”

Sounds like a plan for Saturday, too. But who knows what surprises might be in store.

[email protected]

@Jim_Alexander on Twitter

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