Nelly Korda took a five-shot lead into Sunday at the Chevron Championship, turning a six-shot cushion at the 36-hole mark into a still-commanding position after a third-round 2-under 70. The world No. 2 reached the final round at the lpga chevron with a chance to add a third major title and return to No. 1 in the world.
Korda, who had not won in 2025 before this week, saw her margin grow to eight early in the third round before a bogey at the par-5 eighth and missed short putts on 13 and 14 trimmed the advantage. Even so, she kept control of the tournament, saying Jason McDede told her to “stay in it” and adding, “Got a lot more golf left to play.”
That tone fit the round. Korda said she was still trying to do her best, that she was learning a lot about herself and that she could not be frustrated with anything beyond her own execution. “I was still trying my best, and at the end of the day, that’s all I can control,” she said. “I want to try my best and execute to the best of my ability. I can’t be frustrated with anything but that.”
The pressure on Sunday is not new to Korda. She won the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in 2021 and the Chevron in 2024, but she also knows how quickly a big lead can disappear in major championship golf. She lost to Lydia Ko in the final round of the 2024 AIG Women’s Open and was unable to run down Maja Stark at last year’s U.S. Women’s Open, reminders that front-running at this level still demands a clean finish.
That is what makes this lpga chevron finale matter beyond the scoreboard. Korda has built her lead over the first 41 holes, and Sunday now becomes a test of whether she can close the deal on a stage where she has already won and also stumbled. “This is why we do it, right, to be in contention on major championship Sunday?” she said.
A victory would not only give Korda another major but also send her back to No. 1 in the world. For now, the math is simple: she starts the last round with the tournament in her hands, and everyone else is chasing her.