Nelly Korda stands halfway between the 18th green and the 1st tee. She removes her visor, wipes the sweat from her forehead and remains completely still for several seconds, her head bowed, looking at the ground. Her attitude is strange. So much so that the security guard following her match approaches her and asks if she is okay, if something is wrong, if she needs assistance. What has happened is that she has been run over by a train. She has been swept away by the most authentic version of the US Open, which was recovered this Thursday on the first day at the Lancaster Golf and Country Club in Pennsylvania.
The world’s number one has handed in a card of 80 strokes on the first day and, barring a miracle, has said goodbye to victory. A result of +10. She equals her worst round ever on the LPGA Tour, curiously another 80 in the last round of last year’s US Open. Two consecutive 80s. She is going to have nightmares with the USGA.
Really, any analysis of Korda’s day goes through what happened on hole 12, the third of her account this Thursday. Par 3. She made a septuple bogey. The exit to the bunker, three balls in the water and two putts confirmed a crushing ’10’. She had never made more than eight strokes to complete a hole. It was like a direct hit from Muhammad Ali to the chin. It didn’t knock her out, but it left her stunned, disoriented and bewildered. A new US Open started for her, the one of the historic comeback…
However, Korda has not even been able to save the furniture. She had a lot of ground ahead to recover, but her partial from that hole 12, where she was already +8, was two over par… And that even though she made two birdies in the last three holes. She has not been able to concentrate and an erratic version has been seen, bad from the tee, lost on the greens. She has suffered what is not in the books.
It is true that she has not been the only one. Lancaster has rescued from the old USGA wardrobe the authentic US Open suit. Today yes. Long field, hard, penalizing rough, firm greens, heat… and wind. The wind blew and the day turned into something like a slaughterhouse. Today the essence of the USGA has been seen. And not only has it taken Korda down, don’t miss the list: Lydia Ko (+10), Ingrid Lindblad (Number One amateur) (+7), Jennifer Kupcho (+7), Maja Stark (+6), Patty Tavatanakit (+6), Jin Young Ko (+5), Megan Khang (+5), Gaby López (+5), Charley Hull (+5), Allisen Corpuz (defending champion) (+5)… A real massacre. Today it responds to the USGA’s mythical motto: “the hardest test in golf”.
So, at the end of the morning round of play, there are only three rounds under par, and therefore leaders in the clubhouse, the French amateur Adela Cernousek (-1), recent champion of the Nationals of the NCAA, the American and Solheim Cup player Andrea Lee (-1) and the Thai Wichanee Meechai (-1). It is surprising to see an amateur leading the US Open, although not so much if we look at the most recent history. In the last seven years, there was at least one amateur in the top 10 after the first 18 holes.
Sei Young Kim (PAR), Alexandra Forsterling (PAR), the also amateur Megan Schofill (PAR), who was two under par and the Japanese Chisato Iwai (PAR) have also started very well. Other notable results from players called to be in the fight to win are Hinako Shibuno (+1), Linn Grant (+2), Leona Maguire (+3), Ruoning Yin (+3) or Jiyai Shin (+3).
Precisely, the only thing that plays a little in favor of Korda is that the results are very high and it does not seem very likely that the lead will go beyond -1, since in theory, if the wind holds, the field is going to be even more complicated in the afternoon, when the Spanish Carlota Ciganda plays.
