Ryu, Liu share Chevron Championship
lead as defending champion Korda struggles
[April 25, 2025]
THE WOODLANDS, Texas (AP) — Haeran Ryu and Yan Liu each shot
bogey-free 7-under 65 to share the lead during the suspended first
round of the Chevron Championship as top-ranked Nelly Korda
struggled to a 77 on Thursday in her title defense.
The round was suspended late as a storm approached The Club at
Carlton Woods, with 24 players unable to finish.
Korda won the event last year for the last of her five straight LPGA
Tour victories and had hoped to rediscover that dominant form in the
season's first major. Instead, she made bogeys on four straight
holes and was 4-over par after six holes.
Korda added two more bogeys on the back nine and was 12 shots behind
the leaders and needing a big second round simply to make the cut.
Ryu of South Korea and Liu of China had no such problems.
Ryu birdied five of her first 10 holes to move in front and made her
seventh birdie on her closing hole, the ninth.
Liu got going on her back nine with four birdies in a five-hole
stretch. She, too, made a closing birdie to tie Ryu.
Hya Joo Kim was a shot behind the two leaders heading to her final
hole, but took bogey on the 18th to finish with a 67.
The group at 68 included Ariya Jutanugarn, Hye-Jin Choi, Carlotta
Ciganda, Manon De Roey and Brooke Matthews. Lucy Li also was 4-under
par through 14 when play was suspended,
Among those unable to complete the round were Lexi Thompson, who
retired from full-time tour golf last year, and LPGA rookie Ingrid
Lindblad of Sweden, who won last week in Los Angeles in her third
start as an LPGA Tour member.
Thompson was at 1-over par with her final hole, the ninth,
remaining. Lindblad was at 2-over par with her last hole, the 18th,
to play. Lindblad had a triple-bogey 7 on the par-4 14th.
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Haeran Ryu, of South Korea, reacts on the 15th hole during the first
round of the Chevron Championship LPGA golf tournament Thursday,
April 24, 2025, in The Woodlands, Texas. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Ryu, with two career LPGA Tour victories, changed
putters midway through last week's tournament in Los Angeles, liked
how it felt and continued with it in Texas.
Ryu said she was more comfortable on the greens. She often opened
the face with her former putter, Ryu explained, and was happy to
make several tricky putts in her round. “It's really good for me,”
she said.
Liu, seeking her first LPGA Tour win, was not happy with her
performance off the tee in Los Angeles last week and worked to get
it corrected. “This week, I fixed my driver, so it feels very
solid,” she said.
Little was solid for Korda, who began her season with a pair of top
10 finishes, but has not been as crisp as a year ago when she won
seven events and was the Rolex Player of the Year.
When Korda walked off the 18th green following her round, she told a
small group of media that she was headed back to work.
“I’m going to go and practice and see where it takes me,” she said.
Korda is seeking her third career major.
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