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A brand new and totally different format isn’t knocking Nelly Korda off observe from a possible fourth win in her final 4 begins in 2024.
Extra on that in a minute.
The LPGA’s T-Cell Match Play, contested on the famed Shadow Creek Golf Course in Las Vegas, is a five-day match that switched it up in 2024, going to a brand new format during which the primary two days consisted of 36 holes of stroke play with a lower to the highest 65 and ties.
The lower Thursday evening got here in at 9 over, the best LPGA lower in 4 years. Friday then noticed a second lower to only the highest eight gamers, who have been then seeded in a match-play bracket with No. 1 taking over No. 8, No. 2 taking over No. 7 and so forth.
Saturday will see a single-elimination bracket, with the quarterfinals within the morning and semifinals within the afternoon. Sunday’s ultimate will then resolve who takes residence the $300,000 first-place prize.
Friday crunch time
Solely six golfers completed underneath par and there was a mad sprint for the final spot. Because it turned out, 4 golfers – Moriya Jutanugarn (who had the spherical of the day with a 5-under 67), Hae Ran Ryu, Yuka Saso and Brooke Henderson (who overcame a double bogey on No. 15 with a birdie on No. 18) – completed tied for eighth at 2 over. That pressured a 4-for-1 playoff, with Jutanugarn popping out on prime.
4 in a row?
Again to Korda.
Simply 5 days in the past within the Phoenix suburbs, Korda was hoisting the trophy on the inaugural Ford Championship, a win that got here one week after her victory on the Fir Hills Seri Pak Championship close to Los Angeles. These two wins in back-to-back weeks adopted a win in her earlier begin in January on the LPGA Drive On Championship.
Korda, ranked No. 1 on the planet, is now three match-play wins from yet one more LPGA title, which might be her twelfth, which might tie her with Hollis Stacy, Sei Younger Kim and Ariya Jutanugarn for twenty eighth on the all-time listing.
After back-to-back 73s, Korda posted a 3-under 69 on Friday to complete 1 underneath general and safe a spot within the ultimate eight.
A win Sunday could be the second-longest successful streak on the LPGA. Nancy Lopez in 1978 and Annika Sorenstam over the 2004 and 2005 seasons gained 5 straight tournaments.
Saturday’s quarterfinal matches
Leona Maguire earned the highest spot for the match play bracket after she shot a second straight 69 to complete at 6 underneath.
For a 3 shot lead 🤩@leona_maguire is 5-under and on prime with only one extra to play 💯 pic.twitter.com/2aCWHZRTDV
— LPGA (@LPGA) April 5, 2024
The quarterfinal matchups appear like this:
The bracket is about! 💥
These 8 gamers will tee it up tomorrow morning for the quarterfinal matches at @LPGAMatchPlay pic.twitter.com/rEd8qGayC4
— LPGA (@LPGA) April 6, 2024
Carlota Ciganda, in the meantime, had her worst rating in 900 profession LPGA rounds with an 85, 18 photographs worse than her second-round 67.
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