PACIFIC PALISADES — Before Saturday, Nelly Korda had never posted two consecutive rounds in the 60s in a U.S. Women’s Open. A streak of three consecutive birdies to close out her round ended that drought for Korda, as she posted her second straight 4-under at Riviera Country Club, leaving the world No. 1 in prime position heading into Sunday.
Korda’s 54-hole total of 6-under 207 leaves her tied with Sei Young Kim atop a very crowded leaderboard that has 13 golfers within four shots of the lead. First-round leader Jennifer Kupcho and three-time major champion In Gee Chun are tied for second, a stroke back at 5-under 208. A group of four golfers, including Valencia resident Alison Lee and Gaby Lopez, is two shots off the lead at 4-under 209. Charley Hull, who posted the low round of the tournament with a 6-under 65, and Hyunjo Yoo sit at 3-under 210.
Korda was 2-over and seven shots off the lead after the opening round, largely because of some struggles off the tee. Her older sister, Jessica, a six-time LPGA champion, suggested Korda strengthen her grip, and while Korda has hit the ball better off the tee the past two days, she admits it’s far from perfect. But despite not having her “A” game, Korda has found a way to not only hang in but to thrive.
“We’re playing in a major championship so it’s going to test every part of your game,” Korda said. “You’re not going to hit solid shots off the tee, solid shots into the green. It’s just kind of all about grinding. I would say major championships are about grinding and then kind of when you have that little window to be aggressive, you really have to take it.”
That’s exactly what Korda did over the final three holes. On the par-3 16th, Korda hit an easy 8-iron that came to rest 4 feet from the cup, which she converted for her first birdie. On the par-5 17th, Korda hit her longest drive of the day, a 289-yard bomb that allowed her to put her approach shot just over the back of the green. She calmly chipped her third shot 2 feet from the cup to set up her second birdie.
“Jamie, I had him out for Monday and Tuesday and he told me that was one of the fastest kind of putts on the golf course, so I knew as a chip I would just need to dump it on the green and kind of let it go.
“On 18, I smoked my drive and just had a 9-iron in (which she hit to 4 feet),” Korda said. “Pretty comfortable nice little birdie finish.”
For all of Korda’s dominance — including her victory at the Chevron Championship earlier this season — the U.S. Women’s Open has historically been a heartbreaking event for Korda, who finished second a year ago.
A victory on Sunday would do far more than check a missing box on her professional bucket list. It would put her one step closer to a career Grand Slam. Furthermore, hoisting the trophy would secure the final crucial points needed to grant her automatic entry into the LPGA Hall of Fame.
“I think last year I really, really wanted it, 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. So that’s kind of the attitude that I’m going to have tomorrow.”
Korda has talked all week about all the work she has done trying to improve her attitude and reduce her frustration level when things don’t go her way. Part of that process has been Korda writing positive notes to herself in her bathroom.
“I travel with Post-it notes and I stick ’em onto the mirror when I get ready and I write myself a positive note and that’s my thought for the week,” Korda said. “I’ve tried to have a mindset shift. Sometimes it’s a lot easier than others, but I’ve tried to have the attitude of instead of saying, you know, I’m screwed in this position, oh, here we go again, 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.”
Kim, who has been near the lead since the opening round, continued her steady play Saturday, shooting a 3-under 68 that included five birdies.
“I played better than yesterday, yeah, for sure,” Kim said. “This course you really need to be patient and just focus on one shot at a time. It’s boring but I have to do it. After I finished, I see the scoreboard; that was first time I see the scoreboard, with a lot of good golfers, especially Nelly and then Gaby, who I played with. It always feels great to play with great players. I’m competitive, so I’m lucky to play with them.”
Kupcho, who led after the opening round but fell back after a second-round 72, bounced back nicely Saturday and now has a chance to add the U.S. Women’s Open title to her impressive resume.
After just making the cut on the cutline, Charley Hull went out well before the leaders Saturday with the mindset to stop overthinking things and simply go out and play. And she did just that, firing a 6-under 65, the lowest round of the tournament and the lowest round ever posted by a female professional at Riviera. Hull is 3 under through 54 holes.
Her record-setting round not only helped Hull zoom up the leaderboard, but it also gave her a huge dose of confidence as she sets out to try to track down the leaders Sunday.
“I kind of like chasing,” Hull said. “I just find it more fun and just I can then be free and then just play golf how I want to play golf. I felt like it was quite scorable out there. I just felt like I went at everything.”
Hull admits there are times when she obsesses too much about her swing, resulting in her sitting in her hotel room watching golf videos of herself from times when she has played well. When that happens, Hull said she tries to find a distraction to take her away from thinking about golf.
Thankfully, Hull’s cousin is hanging out with her this week and one of her lifetime dreams was to visit Malibu in person to catch a glimpse of the Malibu lifestyle that is often portrayed in movies like “Barbie,” where you see people walking around with surfboards.
Hull, who had been to Malibu and knew it was nothing like those Hollywood versions, could not wait to see her cousin’s face when she got a look at the real thing.
“We got down there and I was like, we’re in Malibu and she’s like, no, we’re not,” Hull said with a smile. “I’m like, yeah, we are. She’s like, my lifelong dream is like being crushed. She was devastated. It was hilarious.”
Hull is hoping a trip out to have some Mexican food will produce a similar freed-up mindset in preparation for Sunday’s final round.
Amateurs Aphrodite Deng and Maria Jose Marin both find themselves in contention heading into the final round after each player posted a 3-under 68, leaving both players at 2 under for the tournament.
Marin, who won the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, recorded six birdies during the round, fueled by some strong work with the putter. She needed just 25 total putts.
This is the second straight year that Marin has played on the weekend at the U.S. Women’s Open.
“The events in college kind of prepare you for the biggest stage,” Marin said. “I think you’re competing week by week with the best amateurs in the world. So, I think those types of tournaments really prepare you for what you face here. It’s a course where you must be really precise where you want to hit it, where you’re going to miss it, where do you want to have your best chance to make a par. For the birdie holes, yeah, just took my chances. I think my putter has been really solid on the weekend.”
Deng, who is only 16, has shown no nerves despite playing in her first U.S. Women’s Open. Deng recorded five birdies during her third round, including a streak of three consecutive birdies to open her round.
“I think the conditions are still really hard,” Deng said. “I saw everyone playing really well so I knew I had to play good today. I just hit all my shots straight and put myself in better positions. My putting was good today. I was just trusting my line and just getting my speed right.”