Nelly Korda poised to regain world number one ranking with Chevron Championship victory.
The Chevron Championship, Third Round
-16 N Korda (US); -11 P Tavatanakit (Tha); -10 P Bouchard (Fra), R Yin (Chi); -8 I Yoon (Kor)
Selected others: -5 C Hull (Eng); -4 L Woad (Eng)
Nelly Korda, currently ranked second in the world, saw her lead at the LPGA Chevron Championship narrowed to five strokes despite matching the tournament’s 54-hole scoring record.
Following impressive rounds of 65 in the preceding days, the 27-year-old American carded a 70 on Saturday, positioning her at 16 under par at Houston’s Memorial Park.
A victory on Sunday, securing her second Chevron title in three seasons, would propel Korda to the top of the world rankings, surpassing current number one, Thailand’s Jeeno Thitikul, who missed the cut.
Korda began strongly with four birdies in the first six holes but struggled to maintain momentum, failing to break par on subsequent holes due to challenges on the greens.
“The front nine was great,” Korda commented, adding that she planned to focus on putting practice before Sunday’s final round of the first women’s major of 2026.
“Just got to reset and hopefully it goes my way tomorrow,” she stated.
Thailand’s Patty Tavatanakit posted a 69, reducing Korda’s overnight six-stroke lead to five, despite a bogey on the 13th – her first of the tournament.
She enters the final day at 11 under par.
France’s Pauline Bouchard trails by an additional stroke, tied with China’s Yin Ruoning, who recorded a bogey-free 66, the joint-best round of the day.
Korda’s 54-hole score of 200 equals the record held by Jennifer Kupcho, who led after the third round with 200 in 2022 – she ultimately secured a two-stroke victory.