Nelly Korda smiled and chuckled after finishing her 18th hole Saturday at the U.S. Women’s Open, a contrast to her stone-faced frustration after making the turn.
The world No. 1 shot 1-over 73 on a trying day at Erin Hills to post 4 under for the championship, three back of 54-hole leader Maja Stark.
Korda, who played in the final group in Round 3, made four bogeys and no birdies over her opening nine holes.
She dropped five shots off the pace but rallied late in the day, making birdies on Nos. 14, 15 and 18. The final putt, from 6 feet, hit the right edge of the cup and spun all the way around before dropping.
“I may have pushed it just a tiny bit, but right as it was like kind of midway there, I’m like, oh, my gosh, I missed it right, and then sometimes you just have to get lucky with a nice ice-cream swirl around the cup,” she said.
Korda is in search of her first win of the season and her first U.S. Women’s Open title.