Nelly Korda during the second round of the 2024 U.S. Women’s Open. | Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images
Nelly Korda’s campaign at the 2024 U.S. Women’s Open all but ended three holes into the championship.
Nelly Korda’s shocking 10 on Thursday reverberated around the golf world, but also ended her bid for a second straight major championship.
Korda’s septuple bogey on the par-3 12th dropped her to 8-over par thru 3 holes, which proved too large of a deficit to overcome. Korda went on to shoot a 10-over 80 on Thursday, then carded an even-par 70 on Friday to miss the U.S. Women’s Open cut by three.
Yet, much unlike Thursday, the highlight of Korda’s round on Friday came at the now infamous 12th hole.
Korda hit her tee shot onto the front part of the green, and her ball started rolling back down the slope, with nothing but the creek in its sights. Yet, Korda’s shot somehow found the one smidge of rough before the water, which stopped her ball from finding the stream again.
Nelly Korda made a 10 on a par 3 yesterday to shoot an 80 at the US Women’s Open. Today she’s battling to make the cut and just came this close to hitting it in the drink again on the same hole!
Are the golfing gods looking out for her today? pic.twitter.com/VrC9KeREdW
— Flushing It (@flushingitgolf) May 31, 2024
Fred Couples experienced something similar on the 12th hole at Augusta National in 1992, when he went on to win his only major championship. His ball stopped just short of Rae’s Creek, and he proceeded to get up and down for par.
Like Couples then, Korda got up and down to save par on Friday, draining a 25-footer to do so. After that putt dropped, Korda appeared to have muttered, “F*** you,” while cheekily flailing her arms. That summed up her feelings about the 12th hole perfectly.
Absolutely love this “tribute” to no. 12 by Korda after she saves par. I have been there. (Other than ever making par.) pic.twitter.com/f9BU5uLsyV
— Shane Ryan (Trustworthy) (@ShaneRyanHere) May 31, 2024
But unlike Couples, Korda will not win this week. Instead, she will head home early.
Korda last missed a cut at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Baltusrol one year ago, an impressive streak for the top player in the world. Since then, Korda has rattled off six wins—including a record-tying five straight—all of them coming in 2024. Her last victory came two weeks ago at Liberty National, where she won the Mizuho Americas Open.
And yet, if Korda even made a double bogey at the 12th hole on Thursday, she would have made the weekend with room to spare.
Nevertheless, golf is a funny game, often leading many to describe it with the word Korda used on the 12th green. That, of course, summed up her 2024 U.S. Women’s Open perfectly.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.
