ST. ANDREWS – Nelly Korda was playing such good golf in the first half of 2024 that her rivals were starting to hope she wouldn’t turn up for tournaments.
“I played in LA a couple weeks ago and she pulled out,” No. 40 Georgia Hall said of the world’s top-ranked player. "I texted her and just said, ‘Thanks for giving us a chance.’”
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One of the greatest winning streaks in the history of women’s golf sure has come to end, however, heading into this week’s British Open — the fifth and final major of the year.
After a run of five straight victories from January to April amid a tear of six wins in seven starts on the LPGA Tour, Korda missed the cut in three successive events –—including in two majors — for the first time in her career and was outside the top 20 at both the Evian Championship and the Olympic Games in Paris.
So, where does Korda see her game heading to the home of golf at St. Andrews, which is staging the Women’s Open for the third time?
“You’re going to go up. You’re going to go down,” Korda said Wednesday. “I think the best part of the downs is that you learn so much about yourself and it’s always a learning opportunity and I enjoy that.
“I always try to think of everything in a positive mindset. Compared to the start of the year, obviously I’ve had some finishes that weren’t the best. But at the end of the day, I’m still learning and I’m still getting better from it.”
For Korda at this stage of her career, it’s about “not getting ahead of yourself.”
That will apply to this week, too.
The Old Course should provide a stern test for the best players in the world because of the rain and strong winds — potentially more than 30 mph — that have been forecast for Thursday and Friday.
Stacy Lewis, the American who won the event the last time it was held at St. Andrews in 2013, said Wednesday she reckons “maybe 60% of the field” will start off the week with the kind of mindset that will prevent them from winning.
“There’s a lot of people,” Lewis, the captain of the United States’ Solheim Cup team, said, “when they get off the plane and they see the weather, it’s not going to fit them.”
Korda, whose only top-10 finish in seven British Opens was a tie for ninth in 2019, said it was important to “stay present.”
“The beauty of this week is that you’re going to hit some bad shots and they are going to end up well and then you’re going to hit some good shots that are not going to end up very well,” said Korda, who won the Chevron Championship in April for her second major title.
“At the end of the day, you get to be really creative with the game of golf, too, which we don’t get to do on a lot of golf courses.”
Lilia Vu of the United States arrived as the defending champion and recent history suggests she'll struggle. Since 2019, each British Open champion has failed to make the weekend in their title defense.
Vu also said she was sick all last week after competing in the Olympics.
"I think I know it’s going to be a battle for everyone, not just me," Vu said of what she described as a “once-in-a-lifetime chance” to play a major at the home of golf.
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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf