North Las Vegas, Nevada – The world’s top-ranked player Nelly Korda will not defend her T-Mobile game title this weekend.
She needed to beat Ariya Jutanugarn but lost 1 on the last day of the round-robin but failed to qualify for 16 rounds.
Korda’s struggle represents a week for the top 10 players in the world. Eight games were played at Shadow Creek, but only second-placed Jeeno Thitikul entered the knockout round. She will play Nataliya Guseva.
“I don’t think it’s because of the poor performance of the top players, but I don’t think it’s a problem with ranking here,” Thitikul said. “Maybe the top players are doing well, but the other players are doing much better, like winning.”
Winners of the 16-group tour are eligible for the start of the Saturday morning knockout. The quarterfinals will be reduced to four games in the afternoon on Sundays of the semi-finals and tournaments.
Korda appears ready to put himself in the company, leading the way with a third shot despite the lack of green. She went up and down, Jutanugarn Bogeyed.
The advantage did not last long.
The characters reversed on 4 par 15 when Jutanugarn putts up and down within two feet.
“For me, putting was hard, like going downhill, it’s sloped right to right, all good,” Jutanugarn said. “I just told myself that I just needed the right speed and that’s everything I focused on.”
Korda shot similarly from the field but sent out an overly aggressive chip that surpassed the cup and then missed the comeback. The game was tied together, which was equivalent to Korda’s loss.
Then, when she missed another short putt on No. 16 and failed to make up for the difference in the last two holes, it became a total loss.
Corda is still looking for the first win of the season, which is in stark contrast to the game a year ago when her game win was her fourth straight win, the first player to achieve that in 16 years. Two weeks later, she expanded her winning streak to the Chevron Championship to score a tour record.
Thitikul entered the elimination format, beating Thitikul Hye-Jin Choi 5 and 3 from Thailand. She will play Guseva, who stands out with Rose Zhang, who has been battling a neck injury.
Zhang admitted her match against Meghan Khang after playing the same game with Albane Valenzuela. Zhang’s decision, who lives in Las Vegas, does not affect the group. In any case, Guswa would have advanced, ensuring a 1 win against Valenzuela by hitting a 55-foot putt on the 18th Green Green.
“I knew I needed some magic, that was when I hit that putter,” Gusva said. “At that moment, I thought I was going to win this game. I kept fighting until the end. I never gave up.”
Brooke Henderson won the first two games on the tour before admitting after nine holes, her third-round opponent Jin Young Ko. Henderson, who was 2 years old at the time, said that it was uncomfortable to KO.
Henderson, along with Sei Young Kim, is the only player who has never played in the game and will face Maja Stark. King will face Lauren Coughlin.
Around the schedule is Stephanie Kyriacou vs. Lim Kim, Mao Saigo vs. Yin of the Angels, Carlota Ciganda vs. Madelene Sagstrom and Ashleigh Buhai vs. Celine Boutier.
