Shake Up at Top at Riviera: World No. 1 Korda, S.Y. Kim 54-Hole Leaders

World No. 1 Nelly Korda and 2020 KPMG Women’s PGA champion Sei Young Kim share the lead at 6-under-par 207 heading into the final round of the 81st U.S. Women’s Open Presented by Ally at The Riviera Country Club.

 

Korda and Kim hold a one-stroke advantage over 2015 U.S. Women’s Open champion In Gee Chun and 2022 Chevron Championship winner Jennifer Kupcho, setting up a final-day leaderboard featuring four major champions at the top.

 

Korda posted a third-round 67, highlighted by three consecutive birdies on Nos. 16-18, while Kim carded a 68. Chun added a 69 and Kupcho a 2-under 69 to remain firmly in contention.

 

“Definitely it's always amazing to be in this position,” said Korda. “That's what we work so hard for, to be in this spot.”

 

A group of three players sits two strokes behind at 4-under 209, including second-round co-leader Ruoning Yin, Gaby Lopez and Nasa Hataoka.

 

Charley Hull produced the round of the day, a championship-best 6-under 65 to vault into a tie for eighth at 3-under 210.

 

Amateurs also made their mark on Moving Day. Seventeen-year-old Asterisk Talley fired a 5-under 66, the lowest weekend round by an amateur in U.S. Women’s Open history. Talley stands at 1-under 212, while Augusta National Women’s Amateur champion Maria Jose Marin and reigning U.S. Girls’ Junior champion Aphrodite Deng are tied as the low amateurs at 2-under 211.

 

The championship remains wide open entering the final round, with 17 players under par and numerous major champions positioned for a Sunday charge at Riviera.

 

NOTABLE

• This will be the first U.S. Women's Open in 30 years in which each player among the top three and ties after 54 holes are all major champions. The last such instance was in 1996 at Pine Needles, where Annika Sorenstam led after 54 holes with Brandie Burton and Jane Geddes in second and third.
• Nine players shot 3-under or better in the third round, just the second time in U.S. Women's Open history that many players have done so in either the third or fourth round. The other instance also came in the third round in 2019 at the Country Club of Charleston (nine players).
• Nelly Korda will play in the final group in a major championship for the fourth time in her career. That matches Minjee Lee for the highest such total over the last 10 years (2017-2026). The other times Korda was in the last group: 
  • 2026 Chevron Championship with Patty Tavatanakit. She ended up winning by five strokes.
  • 2021 KPMG Women's PGA Championship with Lizette Salas.  She ended up winning by three strokes.
  • 2020 ANA Inspiration with Brooke Henderson.  She ended up losing in a 3-way playoff to Mirim Lee.
• Nelly Korda's 67 today was her 17th round of 67 or lower in major championship play, all since 2018, tying Minjee Lee for the most such rounds over the last 10 years. Next are Megan Khang, Hyo Joo Kim and Sei Young Kim, each with 14. 
• Nelly Korda went 13-for-15 in scrambling over rounds 2 and 3 (7-for-8 today), just the third time in her career she has gotten up and down at least 13 times over two consecutive rounds. The other instances came at the 2017 Blue Bay LPGA (15-for-17 in rounds 1 and 2) and the 2020 AIG Women's Open (13-for-16 in rounds 2 and 3).
• Ruoning Yin rallied to shoot even par today.  She has set a new U.S. Women's Open record by recording seven consecutive rounds at even par or better. 
• In reference to Aphrodite Deng, here are the best finishes in the U.S. Women’s Open by players who won the U.S. Girls' Junior the year before (every such player who finished among the Top 20):

     

  Player	Year	Finish
  Nancy Lopez	1975	T-2
  Patricia Lesser	1951	T-4
  Marlene Bauer	1950	T-6
  Heather Farr	1983	T-11
  Wiffi Smith	1955	18th

• For just the third time in the last 40 years, there are as many as four amateurs among the top 20 at the end of 54 holes of a U.S. Women's Open (Maria Jose Marin T-11, Aphrodite Deng T-11, Asterisk Talley T-16 and Kiara Romero T-18). That also happened in 2005 (Michelle Wie T-1, Morgan Pressel T-1, Brittany Lang T-12 and Paige Mackenzie T-16) and 2020 (Kaitlyn Papp T-5, Maja Stark T-15, Ingrid Lindblad T-15 and Linn Grant T-19).

• Nelly Korda was T-56, seven strokes back of the leader at the end of the first round this week. Lowest first round leaderboard position for eventual U.S. Women’s Open winner:

  • Sung Hyun Park, T-58, 2017

  • So Yeon Ryu, T-43, 2011

     

     

  • Meg Mallon, T-40, 2004

     

  • Susie Berning, T-33, 1972

     

  • Birdie Kim, T-28, 2005