BELLEAIR, Fla.

Nelly Korda began to close a six-shot gap with Charley Hull by sinking two long birdie putts in her quest to catch up during the third round of The Annika. As Korda prepared for the final round on Saturday, she had reduced Hull’s lead to just one stroke.

Hull managed to maintain her lead despite a bogey on the 18th hole at the Pelican Golf Club. After hitting into the water and facing a long delay that forced them to finish in near darkness, she ended her day with a commendable 2-under 68.

Korda had a chance to tie for the lead but faced a tricky putt on the 18th green from about 30 feet away. Her birdie attempt slid past the hole, coming up four feet short. Subsequently, she missed her par putt, recording a score of 67 for the day. Both players are among the fastest on the LPGA Tour, but neither was satisfied with how things concluded;

“It’s kind of hard when you don’t really see. I think it was a little bit of poor planning by starting so late for us,” Korda commented. “Whenever you’re sitting on 18 and the sun is already down, it’s never nice, especially with how slick these greens are and the inability to see properly. At the end of the day, I missed the putt.”

With a total score of 12-under 198, Hull leads by a single stroke over Korda and Zhang Weiwei, who had an impressive 62 earlier in the day. Zhang is currently ranked No. 106 in the Race to CME Globe and must finish in the top 100 to secure a full LPGA card for the upcoming year.

The weekend promised a thrilling contest between Korda, the world’s top female golfer and LPGA Player of the Year, and the free-spirited Hull. Korda began the day two strokes off the lead, but after bogeying two of her first four holes and failing to capitalize on the par-5 seventh, she found herself six shots behind Hull, who had made two birdies. At one point, Hull’s advantage reached four strokes.

However, Korda began to gain momentum with a lengthy 45-foot birdie putt on the eighth hole, which she followed with another 35-foot birdie on the ninth. Gradually, she closed the distance, making an approach shot to two feet on the 11th hole and sinking a 10-foot birdie on the 16th. On the 17th, Korda managed a wedge shot to four feet, while Hull matched with a wedge to three feet, both scoring birdies.

As the round concluded in the dwindling light, both players ended with bogeys. Hull struggled after her putt came up short, rolling down into the water. After chipping back and leaving her putt six feet away, she made the bogey, while Korda three-putted for her bogey.

“My putt, I could barely see the hole,” Hull said about the conditions. “It was difficult to judge the break; it was pretty dark towards the end.”

In the final group, Alexa Pano struggled after an initial stretch of three consecutive bogeys, finishing with a 72. This result placed her seven shots behind and eliminated her from the top 60 in the Race to CME Globe.

Advancing to the CME Group Tour Championship requires a spot in the top 60, where the season finale offers a hefty $4 million prize. For many players, ranking within the top 60 and 100 is crucial at this stage of the tournament.

Although Zhang likely cannot breach the top 60 even with a victory, she remains focused on retaining her card. After a stellar round featuring nine birdies, she will play in the final group alongside Korda and Hull. “It was just an amazing day,” Zhang reflected.

German golfer Olivia Cowan finished her round with a 65 and now sits in sixth place, four strokes back. Ranked No. 116 in the points list, she must maintain her position to narrowly keep her card for next season.