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NORTH LAS VEGAS, Nev. — Nelly Korda stored her hopes alive for a fourth consecutive LPGA Tour victory by capturing a 3-under 69 on Friday for a three-day whole of 1-under par within the T-Cell Match Play, placing her into the quarterfinals for the beginning of match play.
The highest-ranked Korda, the sixth seed after three days of stroke play, will face third-seeded Angel Yin on Saturday morning.
Leona Maguire captured the highest seed with a 69 for a 6-under whole. She is going to meet Moriya Jutanugarn, who received a four-way playoff for the ultimate spot. No. 2 Minami Katsu will face No. 7 Narin An and No. 4 Rose Zhang will meet No. 5 Sei Young Kim.
The semifinals are Saturday afternoon, whereas the ultimate is Sunday.
Of the ultimate eight, 5 are ranked within the prime 40. That features 2020 LPGA Tour Participant in Kim and 20-year-old phenom in Zhang, enjoying in her adopted hometown as she tries to win her second profession title.
“I like match play,” mentioned Zhang, who received two nationwide championships at Stanford. “You get to play on like Solheim Cups, junior groups, novice occasions, however you do not actually get to see that lots out right here. I am actually excited to return into that. It’s going to remind me of faculty days, simply grinding it out in opposition to an opponent.”
The quarterfinalists overcame 1½ days of dismal climate and a difficult Shadow Creek course that punishes errant pictures. The reduce line to make the match play portion was 2 over.
“We thought that possibly 1 over to 2 over would get in, so wasn’t targeted an excessive amount of on a rating with the robust situations,” Korda mentioned. “This golf course is already laborious sufficient with none wind, with out it dropping in temperature as effectively.”
Korda mentioned, nonetheless, she preferred enjoying in iffy situations as a result of it brings out her inventive facet. And the climate labored to her benefit in different methods as effectively.
After capturing 73 in every of the primary two rounds, high wind Thursday afternoon introduced the sector again to her. Korda performed within the morning that day when the climate situations had been a lot calmer, and nobody with a day tee time broke par.
The climate worsened Friday. Along with wind gusts of 30 mph, rain hit the course within the afternoon and the excessive was 59 levels, a 19-degree drop from the day gone by’s prime temperature.
Korda is making an attempt to develop into the primary participant to win 4 in a row since Lorena Ochoa in 2008.
She had 4 birdies on the entrance 9, together with three straight earlier than making the flip. Korda performed the again facet at 1 over.
Maguire started the day fifth, however moved to the highest along with her second 69 in a row, together with birdies on her closing two holes. She additionally performed effectively on this occasion final 12 months when it was utterly match play and did not embrace stroke play, ending third.
“I like this golf course,” Maguire mentioned. “I believe it is probably the greatest, if not one of the best, golf course we play all 12 months. It is an unbelievable check. It is actually a serious championship golf course. You get punished in the event you hit dangerous pictures and get rewarded in the event you hit good pictures, and that is precisely how golf ought to be.”
4 gamers competed for the ultimate spot in a sudden-death playoff that started on the tenth gap. Hae Ran Ryu was eradicated on the primary additional gap, and Jutanugarn knocked out Brooke Henderson and Yuka Saso on the twelfth gap with an 18-foot birdie putt.
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