Charley Hull overcame rookie Nelly Korda in a battle of the youngsters to move into the second round of the Citibanamex Lorena Ochoa Matchplay Championship in Mexico City.
Charley Hull overcame rookie Nelly Korda in a battle of the youngsters to move into the second round of the Citibanamex Lorena Ochoa Matchplay Championship in Mexico City.
The younger sister of LPGA winner Jessica Korda, the eighteen-year-old has made an impressive start to her first year on tour but was unable to find a way past the Englishwoman.
Hull had to contend with a bad fainting spell midway through the back nine and a two-hour suspension in play due to the threat of lightning before completing a 2-and-1 victory over the American.
“I felt really faint on the 12th fairway and I just kind of collapsed ... I kept seeing flashing lights and that’s when the medics came out,” said Hull. “I was a bit low on blood sugar so they gave me some Pepsi and a syrup with lots of sugar in it. I started feeling a little bit better but I still felt sick.''
“I just kind of forgot who I was playing today. I was trying to concentrate on my walking because I was walking so slow because I had no energy. But sometimes beware the injured golfer, I guess!”
Thai Sisters To Face Off
The unpredictable nature of the match-play draw came into clear view on Thursday, as Ariya Jutanugarn and Moriya Jutanugarn both won their first-round matches to set up a second-round sister showdown.
Ariya, the No. 1 seed in the Annika Sorenstam bracket, advanced with a 5-and-4 win over Amy Anderson, while No. 8 seed Moriya, who at age 22 holds a one-year advantage over her 21-year-old sister, notched a 2-and-1 win over Alena Sharp.
“We talked about (playing each other) after we saw the pairing,” said Ariya with a chuckle. “We said we are lucky we hadn’t booked a flight yet. We never know who is going to go back early so we are happy about that.”
While the Thai sisters were paired together in the final round of last week’s Volunteers of America Texas Shootout presented by JTBC, Ariya says the only time they faced each other in a match came during an amateur event in Canada.
Ciganda Remains In The Hunt
Spain's Carlota Ciganda seemed to pick up right where she left off after last year’s win at Club de Golf Mexico in the 2016 Lorena Ochoa Invitational. Facing her great friend and host for the week, Gaby Lopez, Ciganda was 1 down after six holes before winning four straight holes to take control of the match and eventually dispatch the Mexico City native by a score of 5 and 3.
Introducing The Spring/Summer Collection From Abacus. Read More
