Allisen Corpuz demonstrated patience for much of the year and finally achieved good results on Thursday, starting the FM Championship with a round of 65 strokes, seven under par, sharing the lead of the first round with Sei Young Kim and Jodi Ewart Shadoff. Corpuz made four birdies in his last six holes at TPC Boston, including a 10-foot birdie putt on the 9th hole. Kim, who played in calmer conditions in the morning, also held his own at the top. Shadoff finished in style, accumulating four consecutive birdies.
Nelly Korda, for her part, switched to a blade-type putter and saw the results with seven birdies, achieving a round of 67 strokes in her debut at TPC Boston. Corpuz, with a victory at the U.S. Women’s Open at Pebble Beach two years ago, expressed her feelings about the game.I made a lot of putts from over 20 feet, that definitely helps. And then, the last four were good shots and some really good putts.
Jodi Ewart Shadoff
Kim, who played in the morning, adapted to the conditions and achieved birdies on three of the par 5s, although he closed with a par on the last hole. Jeeno Thitikul, in his second week after regaining the number 1 in the world ranking, stumbled on the 18th hole, finishing with a bogey and a round of 69. The LPGA season has been marked by two trends: 22 consecutive tournaments with different winners and Korda without victories. Korda, who had seven victories in 2024, lost the top spot in the ranking two weeks ago. Her round of 67 placed her in a group of players tied for third place, including Minjee Lee, Celine Boutier, Andrea Lee, and Gurleen Kaur. Korda, after trying a new putter in Canada, commented:I feel like golf is a very curious game. Although I haven’t had the results I wanted to see, I’ve felt very close all season. It was a good start and I feel like things are starting to change a little bit.
Allisen Corpuz
Just something new. I knew I had a lot of success with that type of putter and felt confident with it. I just needed to feel something different.
Nelly Korda
