World No. 1 Nelly Korda was balanced to cap off an memorable season with a moment major triumph at St. Andrews’ famous Ancient Course, but it all unraveled in fair some gaps when a brutal wrap up on Sunday dashed her trusts.
Korda’s unstable last day at the 2024 AIG Women’s open was gone before by a unstable to begin with three rounds, and a roller-coaster of a season in common.
Prior this year, Korda went on an unimaginable extend where she won six of seven LPGA occasions, counting her second-career major at the Chevron Championship in April
Taking after that torrid extend, Korda cooled down in a enormous way, lost cuts with recurrence, counting at the another two majors. At that point a late charge at Olympic gold in Paris was smothered by an untimely shank on the 15th gap within the last circular.
But when the year’s last major started this week at the Ancient Course, Korda, still the World No. 1, looked like she would overcome her evil presences and get back within the winner’s circle after all, opening with back-to-back 68s in unwavering winds to require the 36-hole lead.
Korda’s Scottish roller-coaster ride at that point took its to begin with plunge, when she shot a three-over 75 in circular 3 to yield the lead to Jiyai Shin. But the show wasn’t over for the American star.
On Sunday, Korda made birdies at 5, 7, 9 and 10 to vault past everybody and take a two-shot lead, with individual Americans Lydia Ko and Lilia Vu trailing behind and on the skirt of falling out of dispute.
At that point at the par-5 14th gap, catastrophe struck for Korda. The gap ought to have been a incredible opportunity to include a fifth birdie to her scorecard and set her up for a waltz to the winner’s circle. A layup endeavor on her second shot finished up within the long grass, where she caught a flyer to send her third shot over the green. At that point Korda came up brief with her chip, which rolled back off the green.
With her fifth shot, she effectively chipped to four feet, taking off her a incredible see at bogey which would have cleared out her in the lead by one. But Korda’s brief intruder attempt missed, giving her a obliterating double-bogey to drop into a tie for the lead.
had 58-degree and it just shot on me. The wedge shot that I had over the green was kind of sitting a little bit in a hole with some of the — whatever you call it, the ‘hay’ or whatever you call it behind it,” Korda said Sunday after her round, explaining her double-bogey on 14. “I just can’t catch it cleanly and then obviously didn’t make the putt for bogey.”
Ko, ahead of her on the course, and Vu, who was behind her, both made birdie at the 14th. Though Ko gave a shot back at 15, she made a clutch birdie putt at the 18th to take a one-shot lead at seven under, with Korda and Vu still on the course.
Just after Ko’s putt dropped, Korda could have had set up a chance to tie her with a birdie of her own at 18. But she’d never get the opportunity.
At the “Road Hole” 17th, Korda’s second shot found the dreaded front-left bunker. She escaped cleanly but had to play away from the hole to do so. She was then faced with a mid-range putt for par. She left that putt short, dropping to five under, two shots behind clubhouse leader Ko.
Korda tried to explain what happened on the 17th following her round.
“I had to hit right of it. I was a little too close to like the back edge [of the bunker on 17] where I’ve had one of those where you think you can get it, but you swing and miss and you hit the top of the bunker,” Korda said. “Instead of doing that, I took my medicine and went a little right. Hit the putt really good but just didn’t have enough speed.”
She would need to hole-out for eagle 18 to tie, but she could only manage a par to finish in a tie for second at five under.
Despite yet another disappointing finish at a major tournament, Korda was able to take some positives from the week.
“Listen, it’s golf. I’m going to mess up and unfortunately, I messed up over the weekend twice in two penalizing ways coming down the stretch,” she said. “Theoretically that’s what kind of cost me the tournament but I played well. I played solid. I even fought after that. I’m going to take that into the next coming events.”
