Sometimes just one small swing mindset can change everything, even for the best player in the world.
World No. 1 Nelly Korda had a well-below-par round at the CME Group Tour Championship on Thursday with an even-par 72. She needed a spark to get back into competition on Friday, so she implemented a new swing idea before the second round.
It worked.
“Honestly, I have one simple idea,” Korda said.
“I try to hinge my backswing a little bit more and then shorten my swing a little bit. But I'm always working on that.”
Korda destroyed Tiburon Golf Club with a torrid 6-under 66 in a round that featured four birdies and one birdie. Eagle holed out on the 3rd par 4.
“I was in the rough on the right and actually came in at a really good angle and rolled like a putt. I landed soft — hit the 8-iron with control, landed soft and rolled in. ” Korda said of his two books.
“I actually burnt the edges on the first and second holes, so it was nice to see those holes go in.”
Her swing mindset worked early and often, but more importantly, it helped her record her seventh bogey-free round of the season. She also said she was reminded of this every time she stepped on the ball.
“I get kind of open and when I swing my face open, it doesn't hinge properly,” Korda added.
“So going back straight is, in a sense, like closing the clubface on the way back, and then you just hinge and you're in a good position at the top.”
Korda is currently tied for fifth place with Gino Titikul, Lunoin Ying, Amy Yang and Ayaka Furue. As of this writing, she is trailing Angel In and Choi Hye Jin by two strokes.
If Korda continues to win, it will be his eighth win in an already historic season.
Jack Mirko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation's Playing Through. Be sure to check it out @_PlayingThrough Cover more golf. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko In the same way.
