ERIN, Wis. — Nelly Korda describes her relationship with the U.S. Women’s Open as “complicated.” And when looking at her history at this championship, it’s easy to see why. Despite being one of the most talented golfers on the planet (if not the most talented), Korda’s track record at her national open has been pedestrian at best — and outright putrid at worst.
Since making her first U.S. Women’s Open start in 2013, she has the same number of top 25s as rounds in the 80s (two). She’s twice finished inside the top 10, but she’s also missed the cut in three of the last four years — including a disastrous performance at Lancaster Country Club last summer that included a 10 on the scorecard. For a player of Korda’s caliber, the results just don’t match the talent level.
“Lots of ups and downs,” Korda said earlier this week. “It’s the biggest test in the game of golf. Definitely has tested me a lot.”
That test continued over the first 18 holes of this U.S. Women’s Open. Despite hitting the ball beautifully (she gained 3.26 strokes tee to green), Korda could only muster one birdie on the day on her way to an even-par 72. The culprit for her lackluster score? A balky putter that surrendered .77 strokes to the field, ranking outside the top 100 in Round 1.
In spite of it all, Korda was in good spirits as she faced the media late Thursday evening. In championships like this, posting an even-par score without your best stuff is nothing to scoff at.
“I was hitting my putts really good,” Korda said. “Wherever I was kind of looking, rolling it over my intermediate target, that’s where I was hitting it. I have no complaints. I will say I didn’t really hit a bad putt at all.”
This kind of positive self-talk can be common parlance among professional golfers. A certain level of delusion can do wonders for the mental game when things go poorly between the ropes. On Friday, though, Korda proved that her positivity after Round 1 wasn’t just lip service.
