U.S. Women’s Open pits Nelly Korda versus LPGA field at historic Lancaster Country Club

Nelly Korda arrives in central Pennsylvania under a giant spotlight.

She has won six of her last seven tournaments and if she wins the U.S. Women’s Open this week it will be the third major title of her career and the second of the season.

“I definitely played some really solid golf,” Korda acknowledged.

It is certainly so.

However, this tournament is one of the most prestigious in women’s golf, so another win would send shock waves through the golf world.

Korda knows this.

She is also well aware that this golf course is different from many others LPGA Tour players have played on before and presents different challenges.

“This golf course is incredible,” Korda added.

“Off the tee, if you don’t hit it on the fairway, the ball will go into the rough. The greens here are small and very hilly.”

Everyone is calling Lancaster Country Club the “test stone for true major championships,” and Korda agrees.

“It’s a major tournament so it tests every aspect of your golf game and even your mentality,” Korda explained.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself. Get lost in the moment. Making mistakes here and there can get out of hand at times, but every aspect of your game is going to be tested this week.”

The course itself needs length, and Korda has that.

Also, no two holes run in the same direction, so players need to work the ball in both directions, and in Korda, this is also possible.

No two holes have the same shape and route, a fundamental feature of William Flynn designs. Moreover, this picturesque layout features dramatic elevation changes and spectacular views. Flynn used the natural landscape of the central Pennsylvania hills and the Conestoga River for his route, and he moved very little soil to paint the masterpiece that is Lancaster Country Club.

Jeff Marsh/USGA

This creates uneven lies due to elevation differences and requires players to be able to hit all types of iron shots.

Well, Korda can do that, too, as evidenced by her leading the LPGA tournament in greens in regulation this season.

But the No. 1 ranked women’s player in the world isn’t perfect — no one is — and to win in Lancaster this week she’ll need to keep the ball in play, something she’s struggled with at times this season.

Korda ranks 71st in LPGA driving accuracy with a 74.2% score.

Yet, at Liberty National, where she last won, Korda struggled at times with her tee shots in the final round, but won by one stroke over Hannah Green, despite later admitting that she played “Cs and Ds” that day.

Speaking of Green, she comes to Lancaster as the only LPGA player with multiple wins this season.

“Actually, I think that was my most confident match going into a major tournament,” Green admitted.

“Going into a major tournament, I feel like I don’t have to practice as much, and that’s nice. I don’t know what it is. I wish I could have that feeling every time I tee it up every week, but being here in Lancaster really relaxes me.”

“Relaxed” isn’t the word many would use to describe this golf course, but if that’s how Green feels, then good for her. Maybe that easy-going attitude will lead to her winning her second career major championship.

Still, there are plenty of other players who could take home the most prestigious trophy in women’s golf.

Rose Chan recently won the Cognizant Founders Cup in New Jersey before withdrawing from the Mizuho Americas Open due to illness. Nevertheless, she believes her game is trending in the right direction and it would be foolish to write off the 20-year-old this week.

Ataya Titikul, Brooke Henderson and Ayaka Furue have also been doing well this season and all three have risen to the top of the leaderboard. None of them have made it big yet, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if they all won this week.

Photo: Scott Halleran/Getty Images

But Henderson is one to watch, given that she finished in the top five at the U.S. Women’s Open in 2015 when Lancaster Country Club hosted the tournament for the first time.

“I like it when it’s tough. I feel like I’ve generally played well in the majors. It’s really tough so you have to be resilient and persevere,” Henderson explained.

“Realize that par is a good thing. Par is your friend. When you get birdies, you make better use of them. And try to make the most of every day.”

Henderson, like Korda, has won two major championships, most recently at the 2022 Evian Championship.

Another player with two major wins is Lydia Ko, who won her 20th LPGA title at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions in January.

Fellow two-time major champion Minjee Lee has also stood out, proving her mettle on the biggest stage: Lee won the 2022 U.S. Women’s Open in Pine Needles, North Carolina.

But Europe’s Solheim Cup stars are arriving in Lancaster vying to steal Korda’s share of the action: Britain’s Charlie Hull and France’s Celine Boutier could win, as could Sweden’s Madeleine Sagstrom and Lynn Grant.

The championship has a talented field, but Lilia Vu, who won two major tournaments last season, was forced to withdraw due to a back injury.

However, despite the depth of the championship’s field, the biggest storyline of the 2024 U.S. Women’s Open will be defined by one question: Nelly Korda or the field?

That’s a difficult question.

But I’m going to take the biggest star in women’s golf and win the biggest tournament on a big, beautiful golf course.

Give me some Korda for a thriller movie.

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.