November 15, 2025, Belleair, Florida, USA: Nelly Korda tees off on the 11th hole during round three of the Annika LPGA, Golf Damen tournament on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025 in Belleair. Belleair USA - ZUMAs70_ 20251115_zan_s70_011 Copyright: xLuisxSantanax Belleair USA - ZUMA0840 20251115_zan_s70_011 Copyright: xIMAGO/LuisxSantanax
November 15, 2025, Belleair, Florida, USA: Nelly Korda tees off on the 11th hole during round three of the Annika LPGA, Golf Damen tournament on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025 in Belleair. Belleair USA - ZUMAs70_ 20251115_zan_s70_011 Copyright: xLuisxSantanax Belleair USA - ZUMA0840 20251115_zan_s70_011 Copyright: xIMAGO/LuisxSantanax
The Ford Championship is ready to break all the records. Lydia Ko almost broke a 25-year-old LPGA record with her round 1 performance. Thereafter, Hyo-Joo Kim did what Ko couldn't and has taken all the spotlight.
But what record did she break?
Hyo-Joo Kim broke the 54-hole record on the LPGA Tour with an 11-under 61 in the first and third rounds, leading to a new record score of 25-under 191.
Kim broke the 54-hole scoring record of 192 previously shared by Annika Sorenstam, Kim Sei-young, Nasa Hataoka of Japan, and Danielle Kang.
"Hyo-joo kept making putts one after another and hitting great shots," said world No. 2 Nelly Korda.
"I shot 5-under, but it doesn't feel like I had a good round. She played an unbelievable round."
Kim got things under her control after the excellent third round. She hit nine birdies, an eagle, and no bogeys and had a four-shot lead ahead of Korda.
On the other hand, Korda started the third round with a two-shot lead. As the round unfolded, she had a bogey-free 67. Even with all her consistency, she was behind Kim.
“I’m never going to complain about a bogey-free round and 5-under, so it was a solid one,” Korda said.
Last Sunday, Nelly Korda was beaten by Kim at the Fortinet Founders Cup in California. It was a difference of just one stroke in the end. Kim is now bent upon defending the Ford Championship in Arizona.
“Nelly is my favorite player,” Kim said. “It’s been great playing together. You know, it’s been great playing with her, competing with her, and it’s just been fun overall.”
A Two-Player Race
Kim and Korda are in a league of their own.
Lydia Ko, Minami Katsu, Chizzy Iwai, Ina Yoon, and Mimi Rhodes are all at least nine shots behind this duo.
The group is tied at third with a score of 16 under. Although Ko was off to a flying start, her performance faded away in the following rounds.
Trending slideshow: LPGA Hall of Fame Legends: The Modern Era Since 2000
Eknoor Juneja
LPGA Hall of Fame Legends: The Modern Era Since 2000The LPGA Hall of Fame is not a place for fleeting greatness. To make it onto the list, a player must first win a major award or Player of the Year. They must also have built at least 27 points through tournament wins, major victories, special honors, or even an Olympic gold medal. Since the turn of the millennium, only a small circle of players has met that standard, shaping women’s golf by breaking records, growing its reach, and honoring its roots. Mark Newcombe/Imago/Visions In GolfRankin was inducted into the LPGA Hall of Fame via the Veterans Category after a stellar playing career that included 26 wins, 2 Player of the Year awards, and 3 Vare Trophies. Her biggest legacy since 2000 has been as a trailblazing broadcaster, becoming the first woman to work full-time covering men's golf events and winning the 2024 PGA of America Lifetime Achievement Award in Journalism. Julius Baum/Imago/Avalon.redCaponi was inducted into the Veterans Category after winning 4 major championships and 24 LPGA Tour wins. She earned her first win at the 1969 U.S. Women’s Open, becoming the fifth player in Tour history to do so. She later defended the title in 1970, a feat achieved only 14 times in major championship history. After retiring, she worked as a commentator for CBS and Golf Channel broadcasts and received the PGA First Lady of Golf Award in 2010. via LPGAAs one of the LPGA's 13 original founders, Hagge was a fierce competitor, with 26 LPGA wins and 1 major championship during a career spanning 5 decades. She was inducted through the Veterans Category for her role in building women’s golf, starting as early as age 13 with 6 amateur wins, becoming the youngest to make the 1947 U.S. Women’s Open cut, a record that still holds. via Imago/Cola ImagesAnnika was a statistical marvel who pushed the physical boundaries of the women's game and transcended the sport entirely. She shot the only 59 in LPGA history and competed on the PGA Tour in 2003. Her 72 LPGA wins and 10 major championships are among the most in history. Her dominance and fitness regimen forced every future player to elevate their physical conditioning. via Imago/Panoramic by PsnewZThe Aussie great dominated her generation with a stunning 7 major championships and global reach. She completed a career Grand Slam faster than nearly anyone in history, achieving the feat at age 26, showcasing a relentless winning instinct. Her HOF induction with 41 LPGA wins marked a new era of international dominance, highlighted by the 2021 Australian WPGA Championship trophy being named the Karrie Webb Cup. via Imago/DreamstimeSe Ri Pak is perhaps the most impactful global ambassador the sport has ever seen, sparking an entire golf boom in South Korea. Her 5 major wins, including 2 in her rookie season, inspired a generation of players who now dominate the tour. Over her career, she claimed 25 LPGA Tour wins, capped by the 2010 Bell Micro LPGA Classic. Donald Weber/Imago/Newscom WorldInbee Park achieved one of the most statistically dominant runs in modern history, winning 7 majors, including 3 in a single calendar year (2013). She also secured the Olympic gold medal in Rio in 2016, a point-earning accomplishment. Her precise putting stroke set a new standard for excellence on the greens, leading to multiple Vare Trophies for low-scoring average (69.415 and 70.21). via Imago/BildbyranSpork was one of the LPGA's 13 founders who earned her place through sheer perseverance and dedication to teaching, inducted under the Honorary Category in 2022. While she had 4 professional wins, her lasting contribution was creating the LPGA Teaching and Club Professional division, a vital part of the LPGA today. via LPGASmith was another of the original founders who was essential in establishing the tour in its infancy, inducted via the Honorary Category in 2022. She secured 21 victories during her career, a testament to her talent and longevity in a difficult era. via LPGASessions was a powerful advocate for women's professional golf long before it was a mainstream sport and was inducted posthumously under the Honorary Category in 2022. She was not an LPGA Tour winner, but in her first year as a pro, she finished in the top 10 at the 1948 U.S. Women’s Open. via Michigan Golf Hall of FameOpal Hill was another of the 13 LPGA founders, inducted under the Honorary Category in 2022. She overcame a debilitating illness as a child to become a top amateur, winning the 1935 Women's Western Open, considered a major at the time. Her resilience is a powerful story of the human spirit triumphing over adversity to chase a dream. Her induction honors her contribution against all odds and her pivotal role in laying the groundwork for professional women's golf. Via LPGAHelen Hicks was one of the first truly famous female golfers and among the initial 13 founders of the LPGA Tour, inducted under the Honorary Category in 2022. A former U.S. Women's Amateur champion who won 2 professional titles, her celebrity brought much-needed attention to the fledgling tour when it desperately needed star power. via LPGAHelen Dettweiler was a formidable player who became famous as a B-17 pilot during World War II, showing incredible courage on and off the course. As an LPGA founder, she brought a unique blend of discipline and bravery to the early days of the tour and was inducted under the Honorary Category in 2022. She won the 1939 Women's Western Open and was a dedicated teacher and mentor. via LPGABettye “Mighty Mite” Danoff was a highly decorated amateur who turned professional and helped form the LPGA. She was inducted under the Honorary Category in 2022, even though she never won an LPGA tour. She recorded 1 professional win and 3 top-10 finishes in major championships, and once snapped Babe Didrikson Zaharias’ 17-tournament winning streak. via LPGAAlice Bauer was a glamorous star who challenged the status quo and was known for her innovative marketing ideas to attract fans to the LPGA, inducted under the Honorary Category in 2022. She was famously called “sparkle plenty” because of her bubbly spirit. A talented golfer who had multiple top-10 major finishes, she understood the value of personality and entertainment to grow the game. via South Dakota Sports Hall of FameLorena Ochoa commanded the number one ranking for an astonishing 158 consecutive weeks, the longest streak in LPGA history. She achieved this incredible feat with 27 LPGA Tour wins and 2 major championships before stepping away at her peak at age 28 to focus on her family and philanthropy in Mexico. She proved you can achieve everything in golf and still prioritize your personal values, leading to her well-deserved induction under the Honorary Category in 2022. Moises Ortega/Imago/Newscom WorldLydia Ko achieved LPGA Hall of Fame status at just 27 years old via the points system, becoming the youngest person in history to meet the criteria. She was the youngest player ever to reach world number one and has accumulated 27 professional victories, including 2 major championships and an Olympic silver medal. Her journey redefined prodigy, showing incredible resilience to return to the top and securing the Vare Trophy and Player of the Year awards in 2022. via Imago/Newscom/Yonhap News
Similarly, Rhodes’ second round of 70 wasn’t impressive. Katsu, Iwai, and Yoon have performed well, but they are nowhere near the Kim-Korda duel.
In two consecutive tournaments on the LPGA Tour, Kim and Korda are battling it out to be No. 1. The two-horse race continues on Sunday.
