It was a very different story for two of the best on the LPGA Tour, as Haeran Ryu was phenomenal in the first round of The Chevron Championship, while Nelly Korda put herself in a hole.
Ryu, who was in the solo lead heading into the final round of the 2024 Chevron Championship, was phenomenal Thursday morning, getting into a share of the lead with Yan Liu after the morning wave wrapped up. Ryu shot a bogey-free 65 with seven birdies. She was fantastic on the four par 5s, going -3.
Ryu, who normally relies heavily on ball-striking, was fantastic with the putter, needing only 24 to finish her round. When Ryu putts well, she is tough to beat. While her play in 2025 has been below her standards so far, without a top 10 yet, she showed herself to be one of the most consistent players in the world in 2024. The 2023 Rookie of the Year winner is looking for her first major title, but has four top-10 finishes in the big ones over the last two seasons.
On the other hand was Nelly Korda, who looked horribly out of rhythm all day. The defending champion and No. 1 player in the world was just two strokes off from having the worst round of the morning with a +5 77. Her putter was ice cold, even more than the last few events. Korda had six bogeys with only one birdie and had 33 putts. Combine that with a low for her standards 11 greens in regulation, and it is a recipe for disaster.
Korda’s hole heading into Friday will be at least 12 strokes, nobody has ever had a comeback on the LPGA Tour of more than 10 strokes after the first round.
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