MAINEVILLE, Ohio — Nelly Korda had a hard time getting out of bed Thursday morning. Solheim Cup fatigue didn't affect her golf, with a bogey-free 67 at the Kroger Queen City Championship leaving her two shots behind Ashleigh Buhai.
Korda and Leona Maguire, who also shot a 5-under 67, were among 11 players who competed in the Solheim Cup last week and immediately returned to work at TPC River's Bend.
Buhai, a former South African Women's Open champion, is not part of the Solheim Cup and had a few weeks off after an injury-plagued season. She made eight birdies for a 7-under 65, giving her a one-shot lead over Jeeno Thitikul and Yan Liu.
“It just goes to show that rest is just as important,” Buhai said. “I know that if I give myself five days to warm up, with my coach present, we did a good job and, yes, it was nice to see that it paid off today.”
Korda at least had the afternoon to nap after her early morning. Last week at the Solheim Cup, she went 3-1 in her matches, as the Americans beat Europe for the first time in seven years.
“I’m looking forward to the feeling of being in bed all day. It was definitely hard for me to get up this morning, but I love competing and being here,” Korda said. “Everyone who played last week is going to be tired. I’m just trying to take it step by step, I know my energy levels aren’t the best, but I’m still motivated.”
She found additional motivation not so much in her five birdies but in maintaining a clean score.
“There’s no greater feeling than having minimized your mistakes or not making them,” Korda said. “Anytime I can play a bogey-free round I feel like it motivates me and I hope I can carry that energy over to the next three days.”
Maguire played just two matches last week, having played all five matches in her previous two appearances. She was not happy about being left out, especially after easily dispatching Ally Ewing (4 and 3) in the singles.
But perhaps there was a silver lining.
“I played five matches in the last Solheim and I was exhausted after the Solheim,” she said. “It’s nice to be a bit fresher this time.”
After two Solheim Cup matches, Leona Maguire returns to play at Kroger Queen City
Maguire, who played just two rounds at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club last week, opened with a 67.
Korda and Maguire were part of a large group of 67 that included Lydia Ko, who last played three weeks ago and had reason to be floating in the air. In addition to winning Olympic gold just over a month ago, she won the Women's Open at St Andrews.
Ko said her big summer — winning the gold medal landed her in the LPGA Hall of Fame — hasn't sunk in yet. She came to the Cincinnati area having to learn a new course. The tournament was held at Kenwood Country Club the past two years, which is undergoing some improvements.
“It’s a new golf course, so we’re all trying to get used to this TPC course and get into position,” Ko said. “And sometimes I think when you see low scores, you try to chase them too much, but I just tried to stick to my own routine and my strategy.”
Rose Zhang went 4-0 in her Solheim Cup matches (taking just 58 holes) and finished with three consecutive bogeys for a 73. Esther Henseleit had a 74, and all seven other Solheim Cup players were at par or better.
