Nelly Korda ties Chevron Championship scoring record but lead cut to five shots

[p]The world number two had been rampant across the first couple of days at Houston's Memorial Park, firing consecutive rounds of 65.[/p][p]And [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/korda-nelly/4OpkdK7D/"]Korda[/a] got off to an explosive start again Saturday with four birdies on the opening six holes, including a precision eight-iron off the tee on the second hole to within tap-in distance of the pin.[/p][p][b]But just as the first women's major of the year threatened to become a procession, the 27-year-old American did not make another birdie all day.[/b][/p][p]Korda played the rest of her round two-over par, consistently finding greens but failing to convert her putts, to finish 16-under par and give the distant pack a hint of a chance.[/p][embed guid="f9a31fa1-1a8c-4c0d-9576-e3939580babf" url="https://x.com/LPGA/status/2048163019121643820?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p][b]"I mean, the front nine was great,"[/b] said Korda.[/p][p][b]"But yeah, I missed that putt on the par-five eighth, and then kind of just slowed down since.[/b][/p][p]"And all my misses with my putts were right, so I'm going to go to the putting green after.[/p][p][b]"Just got to reset and hopefully it goes my way tomorrow."[/b][/p][p]Korda reached the turn seven strokes clear of her closest rival, Thailand's [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/tavatanakit-paphangkorn/t0rBFiEg/"]Patty Tavatanakit[/a], who had managed two birdies on the front nine, curling in a long putt on the sixth.[/p][p]Both golfers bogeyed the tricky 13th - Patty's first bogey of the entire tournament.[/p][p]But the lead shrank back to five strokes as Patty's pinpoint pitch on 14 gave her a straightforward birdie, followed by another on 16, for a round of 69.[/p][p][b]China's [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/yin-ruoning/Ye6tQIW5/"]Yin Ruoning[/a] scored a bogey-free 66 - the joint-best of the day - to finish her round on 10-under par, alongside France's [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/bouchard-pauline-roussin/C27hWAS3/"]Pauline Rossin-Bouchard[/a], who had started the day with three straight birdies.[/b][/p][p]Korda is seeking her second Chevron crown in three seasons, knowing a win would propel her to the top of the world rankings after incumbent [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/thitikul-atthaya/l4QnCX47/"]Jeeno Thitikul[/a] missed the cut.[/p][p]Korda captured the season-opening LPGA Tournament of Champions and finished second in her other three starts this year.[/p][embed guid="be5b16fa-0d0a-42a2-93ef-37408794efaa" url="https://x.com/LPGA/status/2048216743051448343?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]Her 16-under-par 200 after three rounds matches [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/kupcho-jennifer/8OgeYESC/"]Jennifer Kupcho[/a]'s Chevron Championship record, set four years ago.[/p][p]Patty's only major win to date is also the Chevron, then known as the ANA Inspiration, back in 2021.[/p]