Korda shoots 66 to keep bid alive for 6th consecutive LPGA Tour victory. She follows Zhang, Sagstom by 4

CLIFTON, New Jersey – Nelly Korda has no intention of letting anyone run away with the Cognizant Founders Cup and end her bid to become the first player to win six consecutive LPGA Tour tournaments.

Listen to that Rose Zhang and Madelene Sagstrom.

Facing a 10-stroke deficit starting his second round on Friday at the event that honors the tour’s founding members, Korda shot a bogey-free 6-under 66 in cold, wet conditions to move into third place, four strokes behind the leaders Zhang and Sagstrom with 36 holes to play.

The round matched the best of the day, which Sagstrom found less than an hour earlier, in the afternoon. Zhang, who tied Sagstrom’s tournament record with a 63 on Thursday, shot 68 playing in the morning.

Zhang, 20, and the 31-year-old Swede, who are tied at 13-under 131 at Upper Montclair Country Club, have each won once on the LPGA Tour. After failing to win in her first start, 25-year-old Korda has done nothing but win, with her current run of five tying Hall of Famers Nancy Lopez and Annika Sorenstam for the tour record.

Korda had six birdies, culminating with about 6 feet on the par-4 18th. His four-shot deficit at the halfway point isn’t bad. She trailed by five strokes in the Seri Pak Championship, by four in the Ford Championship and six strokes in the T-Mobile Match Play, where the field was cut after the third round.

“I threw really well today,” said Korda, who started when Zhang finished and didn’t know how much ground she had to make up. “Even when I didn’t hit it close, my putts just scared the hole. with the way I played today and hopefully I can carry that into the next 36 holes.”

Zhang followed up a tournament-record opening round 63 with a 68 on Friday morning. The two-time NCAA champion has not won since she captured the Mizuho Americas Open in her professional debut a year ago last year.

“”It’s really just me trying to stay as composed as possible,” said Zhang, who had five birdies and his first bogey. “I’m really enjoying it and for the most part I think there are always learning curves. Whatever happens in the next two days, I will absorb it all.”

Zhang, who completed her university degree after competing in the first tournament of the season, is competing in her seventh event of the year. She missed two cuts and finished no better than fifth in the other four.

Sagstrom, who finished third here two years ago and 10th last year, had seven birdies, an eagle, a bogey and a double bogey to tie for the lead. Despite her success here, the Swede should be considered a longshot among the leaders.

This is the position everyone wants to be in,” she said. You want to be at the top of the leaderboard. You want to play against the best players. You want your game to be the best every week. If not, be considered one of the best players in the world. These are the reasons why I play. This is what everyone is trying to do.

Yan Liu of China was fourth at 138, one stroke ahead of Mel Reid of England at minus 5. Lydia Ko, who needs a win to qualify for the Hall of Fame, was 4 under along with a group that the 2022 winner Minjee Lee and Hannah Green, two-time winner this year. Defending champion Jin Young Ko was at 3 under.

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