Charley Hull clings to one-shot lead over Nelly Korda, Zhang Weiwei at LPGA Annika
MIAMI – England’s Charley Hull shone the brightest in the dark on Nov 16, as she fired a two-under 68 and clung to a one-stroke lead over Nelly Korda and China’s Zhang Weiwei after the third round of the LPGA Annika tournament.
Hull found water at the 18th hole and made bogey, but kept the lead alone when Korda three-putted for bogey in near-darkness at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Florida.
“Played pretty solid. I felt like I played well all day,” the Briton said.
“But finishing in the dark wasn’t that fun. Shame to finish on a bogey but it was a good up-and-down. My putt, I could barely see the hole. I couldn’t see the break or anything. So it was pretty dark to finish in.”
That left her on 12-under 198 with American world No. 1 Korda, a six-time winner in 2024, shooting 67 to stand second on 199 with Zhang, who fired an LPGA career-low 62 to leap into contention.
World No. 12 Hull, a two-time LPGA winner seeking her first tour victory since October 2022, won her fourth Ladies European Tour title – and first in three years – two weeks ago at Riyadh.
Korda, in her first event after a neck injury sidelined her in October, is seeking her first victory since June.
She stumbled early with bogeys at the second and fourth holes but closed the front nine with back-to-back birdies. She added birdies at 11 and 14, birdied 16 and 17 then had a three-putt bogey at 18 after a four-foot par putt miss.
“I had a good middle of the round. Just played some solid golf on the back nine and started hitting my driver a little better,” said Korda, who was not happy about finishing in the dark either.
“Was a little bit of poor planning by starting so late for us. Whenever you’re sitting on 18 and the sun is already down, it’s never nice, especially with how slick these greens are and you can’t properly see. At the end of the day I’m the one that missed it.”
Zhang, meanwhile, felt that it was an “amazing” day.
“I don’t know how to play that well today. Just keep patient and just like normal and then I holed a lot of putts. That made me so surprised on some holes.”
Thailand’s Wichanee Meechai (68) and South Korea’s Im Jin-hee (68) shared fourth on 201 with Germany’s Olivia Cowan (65) fifth on 202 and a pack on 203 including Japan’s Minami Katsu (67), Mexico’s Gaby Lopez (68) and Americans Rose Zhang (68) and Bailey Tardy (67). AFP
