Nelly Korda reacts to a birdie on the eighth hole during the second round of the KPMG Women's PGA Championship.
JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — Heading into the 13th hole of her second round at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship on Friday, Nelly Korda sat comfortably inside the top 10 at five under, poised to make a weekend run but far behind leader Lizette Salas. Six holes later? Well, what happened next has to be seen to be believed. It started on the fourth and fifth (Korda finished on the front nine) with a pair of birdies, which led to No. 6, where she took a crack at the driveable par 4 and struck a beauty:
After a two-putt birdie, she moved on to No. 7, where her tee shot on the par 3 left no doubt that a fourth straight birdie was coming:
Her tee shot on the eighth seemed to effectively bring the streak to an end, drifting right of the fairway, but a strong approach gave her at least a prayer at sinking a long birdie putt to keep the streak alive. Turns out, a prayer is all she needed:
Finally, on the ninth, she struck a gorgeous approach and buried the six-footer:
The final result: Six straight birdies to close out a round of 63, which puts her at 11 under and currently in the lead by one over Salas.
"I guess I just blacked out," Korda said after her round.
She becomes only the third professional to card a 63 at Atlanta Athletic Club, after Steve Stricker and Mark O'Meara, and ties a Women's PGA Championship record for lowest round in tournament history. Korda is coming off her second win of the season at last week's Meijer LPGA Classic, and the scintillating finish puts her in prime position to take home the first major of her career.
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