Not much was going Nelly Korda’s way on the final day of the CME Group Tour Championship, the last tournament of the LPGA’s 2025 season. After second and third rounds of 64 and 65, respectively, the world No.2 was in second place. She needed another birdie-fest today to chip away at Jeeno Thitikul’s hefty six-shot lead. But putts weren’t falling. The round she needed wasn’t coming together. That is, until she made the turn.
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On the 10th hole, Korda made her first birdie of the day. On 11, her drive ended up in a bunker off the right side of the fairway. The angle was brutal. With the pin pressed far into the right side of the green, where a greenside bunker defended it, it looked like Korda’s best option would be to play to the left, find the centre of the green and take the long birdie putt. Apparently she saw another line.
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She took her approach to the right of the flag, landing it in the fringe. From there it kicked left and trickled into the hole.
The shot brought her to 18-under total, still six shots behind Thitikul and two shots behind a charging Pajaree Anannarukarn. There might not be enough golf left for Korda to catch Thitikul, but going birdie-eagle is the type of momentum shift she wants as they play their final holes at Tiburon Golf Club in Naples.
