Yealimi Noh birdied eight of her last 11 holes to seize a one-stroke lead at 18-under par through three rounds of the Founders Cup on Saturday at Bradenton (Fla.) Country Club.
Noh’s 8-under-par 63 pushed her ahead of South Korea’s Jin Young Ko, the second-round leader and a three-time winner of this tournament. Ko followed her 63 on Friday — which had broken the course record — with a bogey-free 5-under 66.
The course record lasted all of one day, as Megan Khang fired a 62 highlighted by 10 birdies and marred only by a bogey at the par-3 No. 15. Kang is tied for third with South Korea’s Jin Hee Im (68) at 13 under.
Noh, a San Francisco native seeking her first LPGA Tour victory, heated up with birdies at Nos. 8, 9, 10, 12, 14, 15, 17 and 18 to come in at 29 on the back nine. She made par on the first seven holes.
“I didn’t even realize how many birdies I made until I finished the round today,” said Noh, 23.
She hit all 18 greens in regulation and hit 10 of 14 fairways on Saturday. Through three rounds, Noh is 50 of 54 for greens in regulation and 30 of 42 on fairways hit with a total of 90 putts.
“The first few holes, they were slow and I was hitting it well; just not making many putts,” Noh said. “Then I was telling myself I just needed to see one go in. I guess I just needed a birdie, on 8, and that really just helped me keep going.”
Ko acknowledge that she and her playing partner, Noh, went on birdie runs starting with the par-5 No. 8, but she didn’t feel that they feed off each other competitively. Ko birdied Nos. 8, 10, 13, 16 and 17.
“Golf is individual sport, so I just want to think other players how to play and then how to make birdies,” Ko said. “Just trying to think myself and just having fun. This is like one of the normal day in my life, so, yeah, I don’t want to think this putt is really, really special; you have to make it, like this. I just want to think this is just golf. This is just putting.”
Ko has yet to make a bogey through three rounds. She won the Founders Cup in 2019, 2021 and 2023, so if the pattern continues, she’s in line for another odd-year victory. Bradenton is hosting the Founders Cup for the first time, after it was most recently held in New Jersey during May.
World No. 1 Nelly Korda (65) rose to a tie for fifth at 12 under with Australia’s Hannah Green (66). Korda, a Bradenton native, carded four birdies on the front nine and another four on a back nine blemished by bogeys at Nos. 15 and 16.
“It’s great. Having the crowd out here behind you makes it even better,” Korda said of day three at Bradenton Country Club. “Won’t complain. Wish I got two of those holes back. One really silly mistake three-putting, but that’s golf. It’s going to give you some. It’s going to take some. You just got to battle.”
Now that she has the lead going into the final round Sunday, Noh said she will focus on her play.
“Just keep it like today. Just really, really prioritize my tempo tomorrow,” Noh said. “You know, with any kind of nerves and excitement it can get a little quick for me, so just really slow everything down and take it in the present.”
–Field Level Media
