Choi, Duncan and Ciganda Share Lead at The Annika

On November 13, Hye-Jin Choi carded a 3-under 67 at Pelican Golf Club to join Lindy Duncan and Carlota Ciganda at the top of The Annika leaderboard. Choi recovered from two early bogeys and made an eagle putt from about 15 feet on the par-5 seventh. The three leaders stood at 12-under 128 after 36 holes.

Ciganda surged with a 63, birdieing each of her final four holes, while Duncan shot 66. Mao Saigo and Minami Katsu were two strokes behind. Aki Iwai posted the day’s lowest score, a 61, and reached 7 under. Choi, who has not won in 127 LPGA Tour starts, was runner-up at the U.S. Women’s Open in 2017 and twice during the recent Asia swing.

World No. 1 Nelly Korda shot a bogey-free 69, making one birdie among 17 pars. She was four strokes off the lead in her first event in two months. A win would make the 28-year-old eligible for the LPGA Hall of Fame. The cut fell at 1 under. This is the final regular-season tournament, with the 60 highest-ranked players in the season-long CME Globe standings qualifying for next week’s finale in Naples; its winner receives $2 million. Julia Lopez Ramirez, at 9 under, entered the week ranked 66th in the season-long standings.