Nelly Korda in contention for LPGA record after 1st-round 69 - ESPN

CLIFTON, N.J. — Nelly Korda put herself in position for a record sixth straight win on the LPGA Tour, shooting a relatively mistake-free 3-under 69 in the first round of the Cognizant Founders Cup on Thursday.

The round of four birdies and a bogey on the Upper Montclair Country Club left the 25-year-old American 4 shots behind early leader Madelene Sagstrom, who had a 65 on a course she loves.

Teeing off just before 8 a.m. on the back nine with defending champion Jin Young Ko of South Korea and 2022 titlist Minjee Lee of Australia, Korda didn't do much for the first eight holes and only seemed to get going when she rolled in a 10-foot birdie on her ninth hole to get to 1 under. She had short birdies on No. 2 and No. 9, both par-5s, to finish.

«There is still three more days,» said Korda, who used her short game to save par a couple of times. «You still have a lot of things that you — I know the weather is not supposed to be great and there is just different factors that go into the rest of the tournament. So it's definitely nice to get a good round in. You know, still a long, long ways away from Sunday.»

Korda, who fulfilled a childhood dream by walking on the red carpet at the Met Gala on Monday, was followed during her round by about 100 fans, who politely cheered her birdies on the course roughly 5 miles from New York. Among the group were five women wearing black T-shirts with «Everyone Watches Nelly Korda» on the front.

Sagstrom, a Swede who shot an opening-round 63 and finished third two years ago, had six birdies, an eagle and a bogey playing in the first threesome off the back nine. She finished 10th here last year.

«This golf course first of all suits my eye really well,» Sagstrom said. «I've been playing around