World No. 1 Nelly Korda was poised to cap off an historic season with a second major victory at St. Andrews’ iconic Old Course, but it all unraveled in just a few holes when a brutal finish on Sunday dashed her hopes.
Korda’s volatile final day at the 2024 AIG Women’s open was preceded by a volatile first three rounds, and a roller-coaster of a season in general.
Earlier this year, Korda went on an incredible stretch where she won six of seven LPGA events, including her second-career major at the Chevron Championship in April.
Shocking lip-out costs Women’s Open contender a boatload of money
Following that torrid stretch, Korda cooled down in a big way, missing cuts with frequency, including at the next two majors. Then a late charge at Olympic gold in Paris was stifled by an untimely shank on the 15th hole in the final round.
But when the year’s final major began this week at the Old Course, Korda, still the World No. 1, looked like she would conquer her demons and get back in the winner’s circle after all, opening with back-to-back 68s in unrelenting winds to take the 36-hole lead.
Korda’s Scottish roller-coaster ride then took its first dip, when she shot a three-over 75 in round 3 to surrender the lead to Jiyai Shin. But the drama wasn’t over for the American star.
On Sunday, Korda made birdies at 5, 7, 9 and 10 to vault past everyone and take a two-shot lead, with fellow Americans Lydia Ko and Lilia Vu trailing behind and on the verge of falling out of contention.
Lydia Ko wins AIG Women’s Open for first major title in 8 years
Then at the par-5 14th hole, disaster struck for Korda. The hole should have been a great opportunity to add a fifth birdie to her scorecard and set her up for a waltz to the winner’s circle. A layup attempt on her second shot ended up in the long grass, where she caught a flyer to send her third shot over the green. Then Korda came up short with her chip, which rolled back off the green.
With her fifth shot, she successfully chipped to four feet, leaving her a great look at bogey which would have left her in the lead by one. But Korda’s short bogey try missed, giving her a devastating double-bogey to fall into a tie for the lead.
“I 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.”
