Skip to content Hye-Jin Choi erased an ugly start with a 15-foot eagle putt to grab a share of the lead at The Annika, while world number one Nelly Korda spent Friday burning edges and falling four shots behind.
Choi signed for a three-under 67 after stumbling through two opening bogeys at Pelican Golf Club. That recovery lifted her to 12-under 128 alongside Spain’s Carlota Ciganda and American Lindy Duncan heading into a packed weekend in Belleair, Florida.
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The stakes are enormous at this final regular-season stop. Players are fighting not just for a trophy, but for spots in the season-ending championship and LPGA Hall of Fame qualification points.
Choi rebounds to seize control at The Annika
Choi began her second round on the back nine and immediately dropped shots on her first two holes. She added another bogey on the par-five 14th, which was her fifth hole of the day. A lesser player might have folded after handing three shots back so early, but Choi kept her composure.
She clawed her way back with sharp iron play and timely putting. The turning point arrived at the par-five seventh, her 16th hole of the round, where an aggressive approach caught a generous kick near the green and settled inside 15 feet. She buried the eagle putt to complete a resilient turnaround.
The 25-year-old has spent five seasons on tour searching for an elusive maiden victory. She nearly won as an amateur back at the 2017 US Women’s Open, finishing second at age 17, and recently finished runner-up in both Shanghai and South Korea during the fall swing.
Playing directly alongside Korda during the first two rounds provided ideal preparation for the pressure ahead. Choi felt the atmosphere helped settle any lingering nerves.
“I have two rounds left, but I have recently played in a champion group on the tournament before, so I have that experience and I’m going just try my best and concentrate on my game,” Choi said.
Ciganda and Duncan build a three-way tie
Carlota Ciganda delivered the round of the day to join Choi at 12-under. The Spanish Solheim Cup star caught fire late in her afternoon, closing with four consecutive birdies to card a flawless seven-under 63.
Lindy Duncan matched that standard by posting a four-under 66 to earn her share of the 36-hole lead. The 35-year-old Floridian is also chasing her first career tour win, but she looked comfortable on home soil after gaining confidence in team match play earlier this season.
“The week has gone by really fast, which is sometimes a good thing,” Duncan said. “Because if you’re playing a lot and you get some momentum going, that’s kind of a nice way to play. So it’s just been kind of rolling with it.”
Behind the leading trio sits a chasing pack with plenty of firepower. Japanese pair Mao Saigo and Minami Katsu lurk just two shots back at 10-under after posting rounds of 65 and 69 respectively.
Korda stalls on slick greens at The Annika
While Choi recovered from mistakes, Korda could not buy a putt. The world number one returned to action this week after taking two months off, and she spent Friday afternoon fighting cold putter syndrome on Pelican Golf Club’s lightning-fast putting surfaces.
Korda produced 15 straight pars before finally finding a birdie, only to finish with two more pars for a one-under 69. The bogey-free card left her four shots off the pace at eight-under, but she admitted the wind and surface speeds caused serious frustration.
“I had a lot of chances,” Korda said. “But you can just tell that from yesterday morning to today afternoon with the wind, that’s what the defence of this golf course is. It’s as fast as Bermuda as I’ve putted on throughout my career.”
The American remains dangerous, especially with history calling. A victory this weekend would earn Korda the final point required to qualify for the LPGA Hall of Fame. Do you count out a seven-time winner this season with 36 holes still to play?
High stakes in the Race to CME Globe
Every stroke carries extra weight this week because only the top 60 players in the Race to CME Globe standings qualify for next week’s Tour Championship in Naples. That season finale offers a massive $2 million check to the winner, and several players are battling right on the qualification bubble.
Spain’s Julia Lopez Ramirez made a massive move on Friday to push herself into contention. The rookie arrived at Pelican ranked No. 66 in the season-long points race, but a second-round display put her at nine-under 131, just three shots off the pace.
England’s Charley Hull and Lottie Woad remain firmly in touch as well. Hull shot a three-under 67 to finish alongside Woad at seven-under, five strokes off the lead.
The cut fell at one-under 139, eliminating anyone who could not adapt to the gusty winds and slick greens. Choi, Ciganda, and Duncan tee off in the final group on Saturday afternoon, with Korda charging from behind.
Source: Sky Sports
