Nelly Korda’s Red-Hot 65 Seizes Chevron Championship Lead — Can LPGA’s Rising Icon Clinch Another Major?

HOUSTON—Nelly Korda’s hot spring continued Thursday at the Chevron Championship, where the world No. 2 surged to the top of the major leaderboard with a bogey-free seven-under-par 65 at Memorial Park Golf Course, good for a two-shot cushion over Patty Tavatanakit and Somi Lee. The American star opened her round with a momentum-saving par putt, then birdied four of the five par-5s and stuffed mid-irons to inside five feet on two demanding par-3s. Korda needed just 24 putts and never came close to a bogey, a performance that echoed the form that delivered her 16th LPGA victory at January’s Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions and a trio of subsequent runner-up finishes. In four 2026 starts she has yet to finish worse than second, losing only to Hyo Joo Kim (twice) and Lauren Coughlin. Korda’s precision ball-striking was complemented by a confident putting stroke—welcome signs for a player chasing a third career major and a return to the No. 1 spot in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings, where only Thailand’s Jeeno Thitikul currently stands ahead of her. Another victory this week would also move the 25-year-old to within six points of the 27 required for LPGA Hall of Fame induction, a milestone she calls “a dream since I first teed it up on tour.” Beyond personal accolades, Korda’s roll is energizing the first women’s major of the season. Tournament organizers boosted the purse on Monday, and crowds lined Memorial Park’s newly renovated spectator mounds to watch the 2020 Olympic champion reclaim center stage. Big sister Jessica, infant nephew Greyson, and fiancé Andreas Athanasiou were on hand, underscoring the family vibe that Korda credits for her current balance. If she converts the 36-hole lead that now awaits her early Friday tee time, Korda would become the first player since Inbee Park in 2013 to capture the season’s opening major while already owning a win and multiple seconds. With Memorial Park playing long after midweek rain—conditions Korda says “fit my eye and my driver swing”—the chase pack will need low numbers to keep pace. World No. 1 Thitikul opened with a 74, while two-time 2026 winner Hannah Green carded 73, giving Korda breathing room heading into the second round. Golf’s first major of 2026 is only one day old, but Nelly Korda’s statement round has set a daunting target. If her current form holds, Houston fans may witness the next chapter in a burgeoning Hall-of-Fame career—and the LPGA Tour could have its latest dominant run.