Nelly Korda Leaps to Early Lead at 2026 Chevron Championship

It’s been a strange lead-up to the Chevron Championship this year. The temporary pool next to the 18th green has garnered more attention than the golfers who might take a victory plunge into it, which isn’t an ideal spot for the LPGA to be in. But a stellar opening round by Nelly Korda helped put to bed that silliness aside (at least for now) when she shot a sizzling 65 to take a two-stroke lead in the first major of the year.  

Korda, who began her round on the 10th hole, made a seven-footer for par to start her day, then made two birdies on her first nine. She caught fire on her second nine, making three straight birdies to start. She finished without a bogey, but her 7-under total still beat the field scoring average by eight shots. Patty Tavatanakit and Somi Lee are two shots back at 5 under. 

“I'm happy,” Korda said. “Just day one out of four; a lot can happen. I think just overall I was pretty happy with every part of the game.”

Korda previously won the Chevron in 2024 when it was held at The Woodlands, part of her historic season when she won seven times. But she went winless in 2025 and lost her No. 1 ranking to Jeeno Thitikul, a spot she had held for 71 consecutive weeks. In February, Korda began her 2026 season with a victory at the Tournament of Champions when she led by three strokes after three rounds and the final round was canceled due to bad weather.