Nelly Korda and Olivia Cowan surged with a 60 on Friday at the Dow Championship to sit two shots behind the lead, while 66-year-old Juli Inkster advanced to the weekend to become the oldest player to make the cut in LPGA history.
MIDLAND, Mich. — Nelly Korda had just come off the biggest win of her career, and by Friday she looked like she’d found the right rhythm to keep the momentum going.
At the Dow Championship inside Midland Country Club, Korda is playing with good friend Olivia Cowan of Germany. They posted a 60 on Friday and are two shots out of the lead, with Polly Mack and Celine Borge holding the advantage.
The final two days will also include Juli Inkster, the 66-year-old Hall of Famer who delivered another moment that will be remembered long after the scores are posted. Inkster teamed with 27-year-old Angel Yin for a 68 in fourballs, and she became the oldest player to make the cut.
“I’m happy I played,” Inkster said. “Sometimes you’ve got to put yourself out there and I felt like I did that this week.”
Mack and Borge, who were among the late starters, posted a 60 to finish 12-under 128, vaulting past the Japanese duo of Ayaka Furue and Yuna Nishimura, who finished with a 61.
For Korda and Cowan, the turnaround came down to the closing work. They shot 60 and ended up two shots behind the lead team. Korda did much of the damage during the round, and Cowan came up with the key finishing touch—stepping in for a 20-foot birdie putt on their final hole.
“We just wanted to go out and have some fun. That’s when we play our best,” Korda said. “Last week was a great week. This is the perfect week to back up that week. It’s just a little more relaxed. It’s been a blast.”
Korda said the week’s emotional carryover didn’t turn into constant golf talk. Much of the focus, she said, was simply getting through the round and then heading to lunch and their favorite coffee shop.
The Dow Championship isn’t just a team event—it’s officially counted. and that matters for Inkster’s place in the record book. The LPGA record for individual events is held by JoAnne Carner, who made the cut in 2004 at age 64. Because the Dow Championship counts as official. Inkster’s weekend appearance goes into the history books as the oldest cut made on the LPGA tour.
Inkster wasn’t alone in turning precision into progress. Her round with Yin came in fourballs, and she’ll carry that milestone into the weekend.
Korda’s confidence has plenty of grounding. The U.S. Women’s Open champion is coming off her fourth win of the year and her fourth career major, a run that has helped solidify her perch atop women’s golf. In Friday’s fourballs, she played the part during the second round with several birdie putts.
Cowan praised the way Korda finished. “Nelly made a lot of putts today,” Cowan said. “I felt like I needed to make the last one.”
There’s another reason Korda and Cowan will feel urgency now that they’re within striking distance. If they win, Cowan would earn a two-year exemption on the LPGA—an incentive that adds weight to every shot over the weekend as they chase the lead held by Mack and Borge.
LPGA Dow Championship Nelly Korda Olivia Cowan Juli Inkster Polly Mack Celine Borge Angel Yin Ayaka Furue Yuna Nishimura U.S. Women's Open
60?! That’s insane, I can barely hit a golf ball into the yard.
So Inkster is 66 and made the cut?? good for her but how is she even allowed to play with the young girls lol. I didn’t know golf had an “oldest” record thing.
Wait I thought this was about some major tournament scandal or something I saw on TikTok. But yeah “oldest player to make the cut” sounds like they’re just changing rules for ratings. Still, 60 on Friday is wild.
I read it like 3 times and I’m still confused—Korda and Cowan shot a 60 and were two shots behind, but then it says Mack and Borge shot 60 too? So who’s leading and why is it always “60” like that number pays the bills. Also the 20-foot birdie putt… that sounds fake, putts don’t just happen like that.