Nelly Korda, the world's top-ranked female golfer, had a disastrous start to the U.S. Women's Open, carding a 10 on her third hole and finishing the day with an 80.
Nelly Korda's dream of winning her first U.S. Women's Open got off to a nightmarish start on Thursday at The Olympic Club in San Francisco.
The 23-year-old American, who is ranked No. 1 in the world, made a 10 on her third hole of the day, the par-5 12th. Korda's tee shot landed in a fairway bunker, and she hit her second shot into another bunker. She then took four shots to get out of the bunker and onto the green, and she two-putted from there for a 10.
Korda's 10 is the highest score on any hole at the U.S. Women's Open since 2006, when Brittany Lincicome made a 10 on the par-4 18th hole at Newport Country Club.
Korda's disastrous start continued on the par-3 13th hole, where she hit her tee shot into the water and made a double-bogey. She also made bogeys on the par-4 14th and par-4 15th holes.
Korda finally made her first birdie of the day on the par-5 16th hole, but she gave that shot back with a bogey on the par-4 17th hole. She finished her round with a par on the par-5 18th hole, carding an 80.
Korda's 80 is her highest score in a major championship since she shot an 81 in the first round of the 2019 ANA Inspiration.
Korda's poor start to the U.S. Women's Open leaves her with a lot of work to do if she wants to win her first major championship. She will need to play much better in the second round on Friday if she wants to make the cut.
Despite her disappointing start, Korda remains the favorite to win the U.S. Women's Open. She is the world's top-ranked player and she has won three LPGA Tour events this year.
If Korda can rebound from her poor start, she will be a major threat to win her first major championship. However, she will need to play much better than she did on Thursday if she wants to hoist the trophy on Sunday.
