Nelly Korda is now facing a significant challenge to rejoin the competition after failing to capitalize on her strong second round performance at The Annika.
Korda still carded a round under par at Belleair, but ended up further back from the leaders than when she started.
The former world number one’s 63 in the second round had given her plenty of optimism heading into Saturday, but Korda could only manage a 68 in the third round, while all but two of the players now ahead of her shot lower scores.
Korda is now six shots behind leader Linn Grant and will need a superb display in round four if she hopes to catch up, but she remains positive about her chances.
Despite a third round setback, Nelly Korda says she is not out of it yet
After her third round at The Annika, Korda seemed to be in decent spirits, despite knowing that her chances of winning had likely slipped away.
Even so, she was open about the fact that sports can often be unpredictable and that things could still swing in her favour on the final day.
Korda stated: “Yeah, just kind of didn’t really get it close, but overall I mean, it was an okay day.
“Yeah, every day is a different day. Kind of today was kind of like the first day where nothing was really kind of going but then found a few maybe on the last few holes and then ended the round poorly.
“You just never know. It’s golf.”
Korda also spoke highly of the fans who came out to watch in Florida.
“Yeah, this is the best part. I’m getting ready for them.”
What Nelly Korda said about taking a break from golf
With the ANNIKA now seemingly out of reach, it will be interesting to see how Korda approaches the final day.
If she can get off to a fast start and others falter, the gap could close quickly, putting her back in the mix for another win.
But even with that possibility, Korda may already be thinking about stepping away from golf for a while.
It has been a busy stretch for her, and she has hinted at needing some time to recover.
Back in early October, she spoke candidly about dealing with nagging injuries that have lingered throughout the season.
“Yeah, it’s tough. I would say by this time of the year my body is definitely worn down,” Korda admitted. “I do have some injuries I’ve had in the past that kind of linger that are never really fully resolved, that you still do PT on every single day, you do therapy.
“So making sure you’re 100% with your body or as 100% as you can be is always the end goal going into kind of the first day of the event.”
The schedule does not get any easier with events like the TOUR Championship coming up soon. After this stretch, do not be surprised if she decides to slow things down and prioritise recovery.
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