Nelly Korda combating off fatigue and chasing Ashleigh Buhai at Kroger

MAINEVILLE, Ohio — Nelly Korda had a troublesome time getting off the bed Thursday morning. Any Solheim Cup fatigue had no bearing on her commonplace of golf, a bogey-free 67 within the Kroger Queen Metropolis Championship that left her two photographs behind Ashleigh Buhai.

Korda and Leona Maguire, who additionally had a 5-under 67, are amongst 11 gamers who competed within the Solheim Cup final week and bought proper again to work on the TPC River’s Bend.

Buhai, a former Ladies’s Open champion from South Africa, isn’t a part of the Solheim Cup and had just a few weeks to relaxation from an injury-plagued season. She ran off eight birdies for her 7-under 65, giving her a one-shot lead over Jeeno Thitikul and Yan Liu.

“Simply exhibits that relaxation is simply as vital,” Buhai stated. “I do know if I give myself 5 days to heat up, with my coach coming in, we did good work, and, yeah, it was good to truly simply see it repay at present.”

Korda a minimum of had the afternoon for nap time after her early begin. She went 3-1 in her matches final week within the Solheim Cup because the People defeated Europe for the primary time in seven years.

“I’m wanting ahead to the stay-in-bed-all-day vibe at present. It was undoubtedly robust sort of waking up this morning, however I do love competing and I like being out right here,” Korda stated. “Everybody that performed final week goes to be drained. I’m simply attempting to take it one step at a time, know that my power ranges aren’t the best, however I’m nonetheless motivated.”

She discovered extra motivation not a lot from her 5 birdies however retaining a clear card.

“There may be simply no higher feeling than minimized your errors, or making no errors,” Korda stated. “Everytime you get to play a bogey-free spherical I really feel prefer it motivates you, and hopefully I can take that power into the subsequent three days.”

Maguire solely performed two matches final week, having performed all 5 matches her earlier two appearances. She wasn’t happy about being sat out, particularly after she simply disposed of Ally Ewing (4 and three) in singles.

However perhaps there was one upside.

“Final couple of Solheims I’ve performed 5 matches, been exhausted after the Solheim,” she stated. “So good to be a bit of bit brisker time round.”

Maguire, who solely performed two matches at Robert Trent Jones Golf Membership final week, opened in 67.

Korda and Maguire had been half of a big group at 67 that included Lydia Ko, who final performed three weeks in the past and had each motive to be floating on air. Together with profitable Olympic gold simply over a month in the past, she captured the Ladies’s Open at St. Andrews.

Ko stated her huge summer time — profitable the gold medal bought her into the LPGA Corridor of Fame — nonetheless hasn’t sunk in. She arrived within the Cincinnati space having to be taught a brand new course. The event was held at Kenwood Nation Membership the final two years, which goes by means of some enhancements.

“It’s a brand new golf course, so all of us are simply attempting to get used to this TPC course and simply placing ourselves in place,” Ko stated. “And typically I feel if you do see low scores, you try to chase it an excessive amount of, however I simply tried to stay to my very own sort of routine and my technique.”

Rose Zhang went 4-0 in her matches on the Solheim Cup — needing solely 58 holes — and completed with three straight bogeys for a 73. Esther Henseleit had a 74, and the opposite seven Solheim Cup gamers had been at par or higher.