All eyes were on Nelly Korda this weekend as the world No. 1 went for her third straight major championship after wins at the Chevron Championship and the U.S. Women’s Open earlier this year.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t the weekend Korda — or the crowds at Hazeltine National Golf Club — had hoped for. After posting a final round 1-over 73 to finish T-8 on the week, Korda made it clear that her frustration wasn’t about missing another winner’s circle at a major — rather, it was about her overall performance, which included four bogeys and a double bogey on No. 16 Sunday.
“You guys made that such a big thing,” Korda told reporters after the final round. “I didn’t think about that, no. Like not -- I was just kind of disappointed in the way that I played this week, not that I came up short really.”
Haeran Ryu, who carried the 54-hole lead, shot 2-under 70 on Sunday to win her first major in what was a weather-delayed closing round in Chaska, Minnesota.
“I was just trying to take it a shot at a time really,” Korda explained of her round. “I didn’t know where the leaders were at, so I was just trying to focus on myself.”
This is just the third time all year that Korda hasn’t finished in first or second place — which is frankly a remarkable statistic on the LPGA Tour. It’s important to remember that winning is, well, exhausting. And she plans to get some much-needed rest on the upcoming off week.
“Just chill for a few days and then practice,” Korda said of her imminent plans.
Korda will head to France to play the Amundi Evian Championship which is slated to begin Thursday, July 9. It’s the fourth major championship of the season and if she wins it or the AIG Women’s Open, she would complete the career Grand Slam. In between, she’ll stay across the pond and play the ISPS Handa Women’s Scottish Open.
As if that wasn’t enough pressure, even more history is on the line in Korda’s historic season. She remains just two points away from qualifying for the LPGA Tour’s Hall of Fame — she needs just one major win or two regular LPGA Tour victories.
