NORTH LAS VEGAS, Nev. — Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings No. 2 Nelly Korda isn’t too far off the pace of the leaders at the 2026 Aramco Championship, currently sitting at 2-under total through 36 holes at Shadow Creek.

The 16-time LPGA Tour winner got off to a strong start on Thursday at what’s traditionally quite a tricky venue, firing a 4-under 68 that saw her put two bogeys, four birdies and an eagle on her first-round scorecard. She kicked off day one with a birdie on the first hole to get into red numbers right out of the gate and then added another to her tally on the par-5 fourth to move to 2-under.

A pair of back-to-back birdies on six and seven saw Korda turn in 32 at 4-under overall, but she slipped back to 2-under after making bogeys on 13 and 15. An eagle on the par-5 18th hole ultimately lifted Korda to an opening 68, a score that left the major champion sitting one shot behind co-leaders Lauren Coughlin, Nasa Hataoka and Miyu Yamashita through 18 holes.

Friday’s second round was much more arduous for Korda, who finished with a 2-over 74 after carding four birdies, four bogeys and one double bogey on a blustery day two in North Las Vegas.

Korda began her round with a par on No. 10 and then made a birdie on the par-4 11th hole to climb to 5-under and tie the lead. She dropped to 3-under after making two consecutive bogeys on 12 and 13, but Korda wound up breaking even when she birdied the par-5 16th and par-5 18th holes to once again sit at 5-under as she turned to the front nine.

A double bogey on the first hole then saw Korda fall to 3-under, and a bogey on the par-3 fifth hole knocked her back to 2-under total. She offset a birdie on eight with a bogey on nine to finish at 2-over on day two, a 74 that, while likely a bit frustrating, was a good enough second-round effort to help Korda maintain her position in the top 10 heading into the weekend at Shadow Creek.

Even though she’ll be in the chasing position and a few shots back of those athletes at the top of the leaderboard, the 27-year-old Floridian knows what it takes to win at this property, collecting what was her fourth of seven 2024 titles after beating Leona Maguire in the Championship Match at that year’s T-Mobile Match Play presented by MGM Rewards.

And considering the form she has been in across the three starts she has made this year, winning the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions and finishing runner-up to Hyo Joo Kim at both the Fortinet Founders Cup and Ford Championship, it would be a smart choice to put a few chips on the Olympic gold medalist.

A Korda charge is never out of the question, and Nelly just might be going for broke over the weekend at the Aramco Championship.

2024 T-Mobile Match Play Winner Nelly Korda Not Far Off Pace at Aramco Championship

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