RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. – Brooke Henderson kept pouring in birdies as she tried to erase as much as she could from a six-shot deficit in the ANA Inspiration. Nelly Korda was trying to let off steam in the desert heat after dropping three shots in two holes.
Henderson eventually cooled down. Korda regained her touch.
Competitors since they were teenagers, they wound up tied for the lead Saturday going into a final round at Mission Hills that could be quite a show.
The 23-year-old Henderson, whose nine LPGA titles already are the most by a Canadian, tied the tournament record with a 30 on the front nine and settled for a 7-under 65. She is going for her second major.
Korda, the 22-year-old daughter of Grand Slam tennis champion Petr Korda, rallied with three birdies on the back nine for a 71 and joined Henderson at 12-under 204.
The No. 3 player in women's golf, Korda has never had a better shot at her first major.
“It's exciting,” Korda said. “It's one of the reasons why you play golf is you play with the top players in the world, and playing for a major championship doesn’t get any better than that.”
They will be joined in the final group by Katherine Kirk, who quietly went about her business with a 67 that landed the Australian in the final group, two shots behind.