3 golfers who can end Nelly Korda from winning the 2024 Cognizant Founders Cup

Nelly Korda is back in the golf world's spotlight as she climbed 15 spots on the leaderboard during the second round of the 2024 Cognizant Founders Cup.

Korda has won her last five starts on the LPGA Tour in a variety of settings as she has managed to both make up deficits and maintain leads. She has also won in different formats and in good and bad weather conditions.

To win the Cognizant Founders Cup, Nelly Korda would have to recover from a six-shot deficit after 18 holes and a five-shot deficit after 36 holes. Let's take a look at three of the players who could prevent her sixth victory.

3 golfers who can end Nelly Korda from winning the 2024 Cognizant Founders Cup

When Nelly Korda won the 2024 Chevron Championship, the first Major of the season, she equaled a record of five consecutive LPGA Tour victories (Nancy Lopez, 1978, and Annika Sorenstam, 2005). Should she win the Cognizant Founders Cup, she would own the all-time record.

Here are three players who can make that not happen:

#1 Rose Zhang

Rose Zhang was the leader after the first round, when she fired a 9-under 63 to equal the tournament record and break her own personal record. Her performance included nine birdies with no bogeys.

This was not enough and Zhang played the second round for a score of 68, with five birdies and one bogey. With that performance she is co-leader after 36 holes, with a score of 13 under.

The still Stanford University student has played only six tournaments during 2024, due to the fact that she took some time off to attend to her studies. However, she has two Top 10s, with a T5 at the T-Mobile Match Play as her best result.

#2 Madelene Sagstrom

The Swede has also gone super low during the first two rounds, in which she carded 65 and 66. Her exceptional performance has led her to share the lead with Rose Zhang after the first two rounds, with a score of 13 under.

Madelene Sagstrom has played eight events on the LPGA Tour during the 2024 season, with seven cuts passed and two Top 10s. Her best finish came two weeks ago at the JM Eagle LA Championship (T8).

#3 Gaby Ruffels

The Australian is one of several players chasing closely behind Nelly Korda at the Cognizant Founders Cup. Gaby Ruffels is playing her rookie season on the LPGA Tour with excellent results.

Ruffels has played seven top-level events, with five cuts passed, one Top 10s and two other Top 15s. Her best result was finishing T3 at the Fir Hills Se Ri Pak Championship, where she was one stroke away from being included in the playoff which, in the end, was won by Nelly Korda.

At the Cognizant Founders Cup, Ruffels played her first round with four birdies and one bogey. At the 15th hole of the second round, she has three birdies and one bogey, so her score is 5 under and she is T5.