The world number one is once again in hot water at St Andrews.
Nelly Korda shot a 4-under 68 on the first day to climb the leaderboard. AIG Women’s OpenIn the final major tournament of the season, she is one stroke behind playing partner Charlie Hull, who shot a 5-under 67 and is in the lead alone.
“Good,” Korda assessed.
“The wind was pretty strong, especially in the early and middle part of the round, but the wind died down over the last three or four holes and we were able to play a little more aggressively. But overall I think it was a pretty good day for our group.”
Wind gusts of up to 40 mph swept across St. Andrews, causing anxiety and headaches for some players, but Korda explained that the wind began to die down towards the end of his round, when he recorded three birdies in his final five holes.
“You can’t win on the first day of a tournament, but you can definitely lose,” Korda said.
“So it puts me in a good position and hopefully I can continue to move in the right direction.”
No one knows this mantra better than Korda, who shot an astounding 10 strokes on the 12th hole at Lancaster Country Club in the first round of the U.S. Women’s Open in May. Korda won six of seven tournaments but missed the cut that week, a harbinger of things to come. She missed the cut twice more after that and finished tied for 26th in her most recent LPGA appearance, the Amundi Evian Championship. Then Korda finished tied for 22nd at the Paris Olympics.
But now Korda is back on the front pages of the rankings, where she made a strong showing earlier this year, and she has some key statistics in her favour.
According to Golf Statistician Justin RayKorda has started a tournament with a score of 68 or better three other times this season. In each of those times, she won the LPGA Drive-On Championship, Ford Championship and Chevron Championship. Another win could be in store this week.
And yet Korda, one of the fastest players in the world in terms of pace of play, had to endure nearly six hours of Thursday’s round. High winds forced players to think through every shot, forcing them to back off and forcing some groups to wait 30 minutes on the tee box. The slow pace of play affected Korda, but the best player in the world endured it all, persevering in the moment and seizing his final opportunity.
“Going into the round, I knew the weather wasn’t good and I knew it was going to be a slow pace here, so I was already prepared,” Korda explained.
“On good days, of course, things go well, but on bad days, it can get a little frustrating. But today, the weather was great, and I tried to stay focused and have a good attitude.”
Korda had every right to be positive given that everyone in her group overcame the conditions.Hal’s strong performance was complemented by reigning champion Lilia Vu who shot a strong three-under 69.
So if Korda can maintain this mindset, he will undoubtedly be part of the story at St. Andrews on Sunday and perhaps even make history at one of the most historic places on earth.
Jack Mirko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation Playing Through. Follow For more golf articles, follow us on Twitter Jack Mirko In the same way.
