Nelly Korda Admits She ‘Didn’t Really Play That Well’ As 6th Title Triumph Nearly Caved to Wavering Form

If the front nines decided the winner of Mizuho Americas Open, there was no chance that Nelly Korda would have turned out to be the winner! Surprisingly enough, the 14-time LPGA Tour winner was struggling to put up the best performance when she started her final round at the Liberty National Golf Club.

The 25-year-old was the 54-hole leader but with Hannah Green’s incredible stretch of one birdie and one bogey on the front nine, the two were going back and forth to take the lead. Eventually, Korda rose above her struggles and carded a bogey-free back nine to win the Mizuho Americas Open. But she didn’t forget the flimsy round preceding it.

Nelly Korda gets candid about her shaky final round
After the first nine holes concluded, Nelly Korda was 2 over 36, having made three bogeys and only one birdie. On the other hand, Hannah Green, her rival for the day was even par and taken the lead by then. Korda felt that her game was not on the best pedestal today and may slip out of her hand. Yet, it was still not bad enough to make her lose the confidence that she could still win.

After all, she was only one off the lead despite the 2 0ver score. Coming to the back nine, Korda knew that she was struggling but understood it’s never a straight win in golf. The 14-time LPGA Tour winner said, “I feel like you never have your A-game throughout an entire tournament,” when she was asked at the press conference how she battled through the poor form. Adding further, Korda accepted that she was not playing the best golf that she had always been.

But thought that one had to grind through the blockades. She detailed what was her mindset during the final round and said, “You kind of have to grind through it even with your B, C, and D game. I definitely felt like I had my C and D game today. Didn’t really play that well.” And inner self-talk before she faced the back nine helped her to defeat Hannah Green. Korda recalled her thoughts and said, “Just told myself that even though I was 2-over, I still had opportunities on the back nine to take the lead or to battle with Hannah, because she was playing solid golf.”

With her sixth title bagged and taken home, Korda has inked her name in the LPGA Tour’s history book. She became the first American golfer to win sixth time on the LPGA Tour after Beth Daniel (1990). With her back on the winner’s podium, Korda would be making her next appearance count at the Lancaster Country Club.

Nelly Korda wants to fulfill her decade-old dream
The U.S. Women’s Open was the first professional tournament that Nelly Korda played as an amateur golfer. In 2013, she dreamt of winning the U.S. Women’s Open trophy but she couldn’t in that year. And since then, it has been her priority to do so. After all, it was her first professional game and that’s when things started rolling.

Before the U.S. Women’s Open, Korda will get a much-needed week off to reset and start afresh. But she has already put a bit of pressure on herself to fulfill this decade-old dream and win her third major. In the press conference, Korda shared, “I feel like out of all the events that’s [U.S. Women’s Open] like the event for me.” Without underplaying any other major, Korda just wanted to weigh in on how important the U.S. Open was for her.

10 days from now she would tee up at Lancaster CC and go down the road to chase the first U.S. Women’s Open title of her life. Taking one shot at a time, with this form or A or D, Nelly Korda might just fulfill her dream!