BELLEAIR, Fla. — Last year’s Pelican Women’s Championship delivered a showstopping leaderboard, and this year, thankfully, it’s more of the same. Marquee names like defending champion Nelly Korda (8 under) and Lexi Thompson (9 under) are hot on the heels of rookie Allisen Corpuz (10 under), who hasn’t won yet on tour but has played well enough to qualify for the CME Group Tour Championship.
In a season that has delivered a record-tying 11 first-time champions, Corpuz could make it a dozen, as could overnight leader Maria Fassi, who now trails by one.
Maja Stark, the young Swede who won the ISPS Hands World Invitational in Northern Ireland over the summer to earn her LPGA card, is also one back after a sizzling 63.
Corpuz decided about a month ago to withdraw from last week’s event in Japan in order to rest up for these last two events. The USC grad said longtime friend Megan Khang has been a huge help to her this year.
“Definitely before coming on tour I was expecting like to maybe really be working for my card,” said Corpuz, “and I’m really lucky that I’m not having to worry about that at this point.
“I think I know that I’m a really solid player, and it’s just really nice to have seen like the results this early.”
Stark has learned the importance of balance the hard way, getting sick several times after events. She had three weeks off coming into this week and barely touched a club due to inflammation in her shoulder. She then took a week off to help coach the Swedish national team in Spain.
“I’ve always seen a lot of the Swedes when they have come back and given back,” said Stark. “We had Anna Nordqvist at a couple camps, Pernilla Lindberg, Henrik Stenson.
“So after seeing them, and then a lot of times they go out and play really well the next time they’re out playing after meeting up with the girls’ team and stuff, so I think it was just good inspiration for me too, to see what they do and get some perspective and just have fun on a golf course and not feel the stress that I feel now.”
Lexi Thompson lines up a putt during the second round of the Pelican Women’s Championship at Pelican Golf Club on November 12, 2022, in Belleair, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
Thompson, who recently won a LET event in New York but hasn’t won on the LPGA since 2019, posted a 67, hitting 12 fairways and 16 greens.
“There was a few pins out there that were tucked a little bit more than yesterday’s…
..
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Golfweek…