Georgia Hall, Nelly Korda confident as LPGA's first Major moves to Texas

WASHINGTON – World No. 2 Nelly Korda and LPGA prize money leader Georgia Hall both said on Tuesday they were confident heading into the year’s first Major – the Chevron Championship which starts on Thursday.

US standout Jennifer Kupcho will defend the crown she won in 2022 on a much-different layout, as the event moves this season from the southern California desert to the Jack Nicklaus Signature course at Carlton Woods in suburban Houston, near the coast of the Gulf of Mexico.

“I think the biggest thing is probably the length of the golf course. It’s really long,” she said.

“We’re going to have a lot of long irons into the par-fours and the greens are definitely a lot trickier versus in the desert.

“It’s going to be a lot windier. Texas is generally windy, though, so you expect that. The humidity, the ball doesn’t quite go as far here as in the desert, so that contributes to the length.”

It promises a major challenge for England’s 10th-ranked Hall and American Korda, who each have four top-10 finishes in five LPGA starts in 2023.

But Hall said she felt good.

“In the US, it’s definitely the most comfortable that I’ve felt,” she said.

“It’s the best I’ve been playing. I’m No. 1 on the money list. I’ve never been this comfortable, I think, before a Major.”

Hall, the 2018 British Women’s Open champion, shared 10th place in her season debut in Thailand and was tied-14th in Singapore and was a runner-up twice in March at Superstition Mountain and the Los Angeles Open before sharing sixth last week in Hawaii.

“I’ve never played well in Asia since I’ve come out on tour. To me that was a big, ‘Wow, OK, I’m playing better than normal’,” she said.

“Then obviously the first events in the US, being in contention both times, gives me a lot of confidence that I can push and shoot a low score to win.

“I think I’ve got a lot of low rounds in me and hopefully they can come out this week.”

Not having a victory is not a worry for Hall just yet.

“I would have loved to have at least one win sitting here right now,” she said. “But it gives me a lot of confidence, that all the great players come second a lot. So I’ve just got to stay patient, hopefully a lot more golf to be played, and get a couple wins this year.”

Korda, who snuck in a visit to the final round of the Masters and some practice time last week, said she feels like she is playing well but not yet shown her best shotmaking.

“It’s positive and negative that I’m playing well but I don’t think that I’ve had my best stuff yet,” she said.

“So hopefully I can continue working on my game and peak in the right moments.

“When I’m really not hitting it well, then I’m putting and my short game is pretty on point. I’ve been kind of lucky to miss in areas where it’s better to miss.”

Reigning Olympic champion Korda, the 2021 Women’s PGA Championship winner, was fourth at the Tournament of Champions, joint sixth in Thailand and runner-up in Singapore before sharing fifth in Los Angeles.

“I practised all of last week, just getting into playing mode, tightening up some loose ends,” she added.

Kupcho, meanwhile, has struggled to make much of an impact in 2023, most recently finishing tied-25th at the Los Angeles Open.

But the Colorado native said she has learnt to harness her inner calm after struggling with feelings of panic a year ago.

“I was struggling hitting the ball, so I had a little bit of a panic. I would say I’m a little bit more relaxed this year.

“Feel like I have my feet under me and ready to go,” she added. AFP, REUTERS