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Golf: Nelly Korda, Lexi Thompson tied for lead at Pelican Women’s Championship; Saso tied for 17th

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Field Level Media/Reuters

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Nelly Korda of Team USA celebrates after making a long putt on the thirteenth green during morning foursomes in the 2021 Solheim Cup at Inverness Club. File Photo. Raj Mehta, USA TODAY Sports/Reuters" src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2021/reuters/11/14/nelly.jpg"/><figcaption>Nelly Korda of Team USA celebrates after making a long putt on the thirteenth green during morning foursomes in the 2021 Solheim Cup at Inverness Club. File Photo. Raj Mehta, USA TODAY Sports/Reuters</figcaption></figure></div>Lexi Thompson maintained her hold on first place, but fellow American Nelly Korda tied her atop the leaderboard with a field-best 7-under 63 on Saturday at the Pelican Women&#x27;s Championship at Belleair, Fla.Korda&#x27;s round was tied for second-best of the entire tournament, leaving her and Thompson at 16-under 194 at Pelican Golf Club. Korda, the No. 1 player in the world, blasted eight birdies against one bogey to surge into a tie for first a day after she shot a 66.&quot;Yeah, I was hitting it better off the tee today and just gave myself some really good looks,&quot; Korda said. &quot;I was stuffing it on the back nine. I&#x27;m pretty sure -- I mean, I had -- I missed probably a 10-footer on No. 10 and then I made 11, missed 12 -- I was pretty close there -- and then missed 13 as well.&quot;So I gave myself some really good looks, so at least going in the right direction. Yesterday I was doing the same thing. I just wasn&#x27;t making as much. Today I think I just made a little bit more.&quot;Thompson shot a 5-under 65 to tie Korda for a one-stroke lead. Her day was marked by six birdies and a bogey, and she and Korda will now be playing together Sunday.&quot;So I knew Lexi because I think I met her at Curtis Cup when (sister) Jess played with her,&quot; Korda said. &quot;They were both really young. And even U.S. Open I remember them playing a lot of practice rounds together because they were like the young up-and-coming Americans. ... I definitely watched her on TV because I watched a lot wanting to see Jess.&quot;But, yeah, I mean, what she&#x27;s done in her career is amazing, especially at such a young age. You would think she&#x27;s so much older than she is. ... I had to double take. Wait, you&#x27;re only that old? Only a year and a half or two years older than me? Like what?&quot;Jennifer Kupcho is a stroke back in third at 15-under after scoring a 4-under 66. Two golfers, Christina Kim and South Korea&#x27;s Sei Young Kim, shot identical 5-under 65 rounds, and they are both tied for fourth place.&quot;I feel like greens are faster than last year, so green play really important this week,&quot; Sei Young Kim said. &quot;And then, yeah, and also need really good iron shot this week.&quot;The rest of the top ten includes New Zealand&#x27;s Lydia Ko (64) and Thailand&#x27;s Patty Tavatanakit (64), tied for sixth at 13-under, Ireland&#x27;s Leona Maguire (68) in eighth at 12-under and two golfers tied for ninth at 10-under, Thailand&#x27;s Pornanong Phatlum (67) and Mexico&#x27;s Maria Fassi (68).The Philippines&#x27; Yuka Saso, who recently made the decision to choose her Japanese citizenship before she turns 22, is currently tied for 17th place.Saso shot a 70 in the third round for an 8-under total of 202, tied with five other players.

Lexi Thompson maintained her hold on first place, but fellow American Nelly Korda tied her atop the leaderboard with a field-best 7-under 63.