World number one Nelly Korda cruises into three-shot lead at LPGA Riviera Maya Open

[p]Showing no signs of fatigue after last week's triumph at the Chevron Championship, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/korda-nelly/4OpkdK7D/"]Korda[/a] has gone 43 holes since her sole opening-round bogey at Mexico's El Camaleon Golf Course.[/p][p]And the 27-year-old American rarely even came close to dropping a shot in a serene third round, which finished with a tap-in eagle for a healthy lead going into the final day.[/p][p]She stands at 14-under 202, followed by Thailand's [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/yubol-arpichaya/xdws3xIu/"]Arpichaya Yubol[/a] on 11-under, and Japan's [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/katsu-minami/xInA6vir/"]Minami Katsu[/a] a further stroke back.[/p][p]Korda said she [b]"would be lying to you if I said that my energy levels were 100 percent"[/b] after her major win last week, but insisted she was in Playa del Carmen "to work, not on vacation."[/p][p][b]"I think just mentally, just staying in it has been the most important part for this week,"[/b] she said.[/p][p]A surging Arpichaya finished her best-of-the-day, bogey-free round of 66 with birdie-birdie, to keep the gap at three.[/p][p]Katsu sank a rare eagle on 17 to get herself right back in the tournament, on 10-under.[/p][embed guid="8738fc5c-6fbb-415f-987b-f6b5c52cfb30" url="https://x.com/LPGA/status/2050735842210271359" social-type="twitter" /][p]The Japanese player had experienced an up-and-down day - two-over for the front nine, before birdies on three of her next four holes.[/p][p]Korda had begun the day tied on nine-under 136 with fellow American [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/do-brianna/dMeAizOn/"]Brianna Do[/a], who was chasing her first LPGA tour title.[/p][p]Korda enjoyed a calm, risk-free front nine, her eight pars punctuated only by a birdie on the par-five fifth.[/p][p]She made a superb save with a long curling putt on nine to retain her solo lead over Arpichaya and China's [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/liu-yu/hdLn03Ms/"]Liu Yu[/a].[/p][p]But three-time major winner Korda turned up the tempo down the stretch.[/p][p]On the par-five 13th, her long eagle effort just failed to drop. She settled for birdie, and a dart into the green on the par-three 14th meant a tap-in for another.[/p][p]She struck a perfect driver followed by an aggressive iron on the low-scoring par-five 18th, to finish with a tap-in eagle.[/p][embed guid="45b068e0-7f36-49ea-8199-9d0dd32f218f" url="https://x.com/LPGA/status/2050729802257117369" social-type="twitter" /][p]Her only mistake of the day came when she twice tried and failed to retrieve the ball from the cup at the final green, laughing at her fumble.[/p][p]Overnight, co-leader Do had a more turbulent day. She had bogeys on the first and fourth, before pulling back birdies on six and nine to briefly move back into joint second.[/p][p]But she sliced her tee shot into water on 10, carding a double bogey, and finished with a 72 on nine-under, tied for fourth with Liu.[/p][p]Korda is having a totally dominant season.[/p][p]She is already chasing her third win of 2026, having captured the Chevron Championship last week, and the season-opening Tournament of Champions[/p][p]Korda finished second in her other three starts so far this year.[/p]