PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. — Nelly Korda was stuck in neutral. The late Saturday afternoon lead at the U.S. Women’s Open had ballooned to 6-under par and she, after starting off with two birdies in the first six holes, had settled back down to 3-under.
But as Korda stood on the par-3 15th tee down three shots, the world No. 1 did not hesitate. She took dead aim with her 8-iron and gave herself a 5-foot birdie putt she poured in. Korda added another birdie at the par-5 17th and punctuated her round with an exclamation point: a birdie on the final hole to make it three in a row.
In less than an hour, Korda had tilted the axis of the tournament in her favor and, as she made the uphill trek to the Riviera Country Club clubhouse, she suddenly owned a share of the lead with Sei Young Kim heading into Sunday.
“Major championships are about grinding and then kind of when you have that little window to be aggressive, you really have to take it,” Korda said after the 4-under 67 round. “So I’m really happy with how I grinded out the front nine and then took the opportunities that I had on the last three holes.”
Korda arrived this week as not just the best player in the world but also the hottest — through eight starts this year, she has three victories, including this year’s first major at the Chevron Championship last month. The U.S. Open, however, has eluded her — transfixed her, even. It’s the major where she has the most missed cuts (three) and the one that has resulted in a relationship she has described as “complicated” before.
Heading into this season, and this tournament in particular, the 27-year-old took on a different approach and, as she put it, instituted a “mindset shift” that appears to be paying dividends.
“I’ve tried to have the attitude of instead of saying, ‘you know, I’m screwed in this position, oh, here we go again,'” Korda said. “I’m just going to embrace the challenges and I’m not going to walk off the golf course; I’m just going to figure it out. That’s kind of been my attitude this year is like no matter what it throws at me.”
Earlier in the week, Korda said her T-2 finish in last year’s U.S. Women’s Open at Erin Hills (her best finish at the event) made her want to do whatever she could to put herself back in a position for a chance to win on the back nine. So far this season, she has contended in all but one event she has played and won three times, finishing either second or first in six of seven tournaments. Korda credits her game, which has been in elite form, but also a shift toward positivity.
“I started at the beginning of the year writing positive notes to myself in my bathroom,” Korda said. “I travel with Post-it notes and I stick ’em on to the mirror when I get ready and I write myself a positive note and that’s my thought for the week.”
Riviera threw Korda a dud Thursday, as she appeared out of sorts on her way to a 73 that placed her well off the lead. But after a suggestion by her sister, Jessica, to strengthen her grip appeared to work during Friday’s round of 4-under 67, Korda stuck with it. The result? She shot her lowest round at a U.S. Open not once but two days in a row.
Now, Korda, a self-described perfectionist, will head into Sunday in the final group for the fifth time this season, and though the stakes could not be higher, her mental approach to chasing her fourth major and first U.S. Open victory might be in the best place it has ever been.
“I’m not going to get too frustrated. I think last year I really, really wanted [the U.S. Open], and the more you want it sometimes the more you stiffen up and you get a little bit more nervous,” Korda said. “I play my best golf when I’m happy, free Nelly, and I’m kind of joking around out there. … I’m just going to take on the challenges head-on and know that I’m doing my best out there. I’ve prepared the best that I possibly can and I’m just going to try and play free golf.”