"Nelly Korda experiences disastrous opening round at US Women's Open with seven-stroke penalty on par-three hole"
With the goal of earning her seventh victory in eight appearances, the top-ranked golfer began the US Women's Open at Pennsylvania's Lancaster Country Club as the anticipated front-runner. However, she struggled through the first round, finishing with a 10-over 80, putting her 12 shots behind the Japanese leader, Yuka Saso.
Korda began her round at the 10th hole, opening with a bogey. The American encountered the water three times, leading to a disastrous septuple-bogey at the par-three 12th hole. After eight unsuccessful attempts to clear the creek guarding the green, she finally managed to reach the putting surface, but she two-putted, ending with 10 strokes on the 161-yard hole.
When questioned by reporters, Korda stated, "I just didn't want to score 80, and I kept making bogeys."
"I'm human. I'm going to have bad days. I've been playing great golf up to this point. Today was just one of those days." Despite posting three birdies in her final nine holes, Korda faces a difficult task to continue into the weekend, let alone capture her third major title.
"I don't have a lot of positive thoughts right now," the 25-year-old continued. "I didn't hit it well, and I spent a lot of time in the rough. Making a 10 on a par-3 won't help you at a US Open."
Of the twenty-six players who took part in the first round, only four shot under par. The twenty-two-year-old Saso carded a solid 68 to lead by a single shot over Andrea Lee, Wichanee Meechai, and Adela Cernousek. In 2021, she claimed the US Women's Open title with a playoff victory at The Olympic Club in San Francisco, California.
Saso acknowledged, "I don't think I'll change anything. There's still a lot of golf to play." She continued, "The golf course is very demanding, and the circumstances are quite challenging, with strong winds blowing at 15 miles per hour on top of firm and quick greens."
Rose Zhang, a breakthrough star who had defeated Korda in every encounter since January, had a similar experience, shooting 79. She outplayed her competitor at the Cognizant Classic to claim her second LPGA Tour victory, but found herself struggling as well, accumulating eight bogeys and a double-bogey on the par-five seventh hole.
The second round is scheduled to start at 6:45 a.m. ET (11:45 a.m. BST), with Korda set to tee off late on Friday at 1:58 p.m. ET (6:58 p.m. BST).
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Despite the challenges on the course, Korda remains hopeful about her golf skills, expressing, "I can't wait to get back out there and play golf again." Additionally, she acknowledged the importance of her mental game, stating, "Golf is as much mental as it is physical. I need to stay positive and believe in my game."
