Good news: The greatest in the world blunders three times on a single hole at the US Open.
After the first chip from a greenside bunker went awry, the American found the water from the penalty area twice.
After just three holes of the first round of the US Women’s Open, Nelly Korda’s attempt to continue her amazing run of form fell apart when she missed a par three at Lancaster Country Club with a score of 10.
After winning six of her last seven events, including last week’s Mizuho Americas Open and the Chevron Championship, this year’s first major tournament, 25-year-old Korda was a heavy favorite to capture her third major championship in Philadelphia.
Nevertheless, after making three consecutive bogeys on the par-three 12th, her third hole after beginning on 10, the world number one shot up a septuple-bogey 10.
After misjudging her tee shot from the sand, the World No. 1 found the bunker at the back of the green and watched helplessly as it caught the slope and rolled into the lake.
After that, Korda had to cross the bridge once more to reach the drop zone, where she would eventually hit the green with her eighth shot and make a double digit score by two-putting from nine feet. After just three holes in her first round, it left her eight over.
Korda said in her pre-tournament press conference that she was anticipating a “beast of a course” this week, despite her incredible success on the LPGA Tour this year.
Despite her record of success at US Open locations, Korda has two major championships to her name: the PGA Championship in 2021 and the Chevron Championship this year. After suffering two cuts and finishing tied for 64th place since 2020, she had her best performance in 2021.
Before the competition, NBC golf analyst Brandel Chamblee remarked, “At the U.S. Opens, she’s gotten herself into trouble and hasn’t done a great job of getting herself out of trouble.” “Per championship, she has nearly always averaged three double bogeys or more.”
Since it hosted the US Open in 2015, Lancaster Country Club has undergone revisions and been extended to a par-70 of 6,583 yards.
