You’d be crazy to bet on world No. 1 Nelly Korda missing a cut. But if you had to, this week might have been the time to do it, on the occasion of the Evian Championship, the fourth of five majors on the LPGA calendar.
For one, Korda sounded tired heading into the tournament at the scenic, hilly Evian Resort in the French Alps. Like most of the players in the field, she was playing her second major in three weeks and adjusting to a new time zone. “Trying to prioritize sleep and rest,” she said. “It’s a lot, definitely.”
For another, Korda’s record at the Evian has been less than spectacular, with just two top-10s in nine appearances before this week. Asked on Wednesday to describe “her relationship” with the property, Korda said, “I don’t know. It’s Evian. That’s all I’m going to say, is that it’s — I’ve hit some really good shots and ended up in some really bad places and hit some bad places and ended up in good places.” Not exactly a ringing endorsement.
You’d also be crazy to bet on the other world No. 1, Scottie Scheffler, missing a cut. But if you had to, this week might have been the time to do it, on the occasion of the Scottish Open, the lead-in event to the fourth and final major on the men’s calendar, the Open Championship.
The case against Scheffler was weaker than the case against Korda, but if you were seeking betting ammo, you’d quickly have discovered that Scheffler has never exhibited his best stuff on the Tom Doak design at Renaissance Club. That’s not to say that Scheffler has stunk it up — before this week, he’d had two top 10s and a MC at this event — but he just hadn’t been a world beater. “A golf course I feel like I can play well on,” Scheffler said Friday. “I just haven’t for some reason.”
Guess what, though? Those crazy bets would have come in.
On one of the weirder Fridays in the modern annals of pro golf, Nelly Korda and Scottie Scheffler both went home early. Korda posted 74-69 to miss the Evian cut by one, marking her first missed cut in 34 starts, a roughly two-year run; Scheffler posted 68-72 to miss the Scottish Open cut by two, marking his first missed cut in 78 starts, a roughly four-year run. According to stats whiz Justin Ray, the double trunk-slam marked the first time since the 2006 inception of the Rolex Rankings that the men’s and women’s No. 1s both MC’ed on the same day. That’s the thing about the great ones: Even when they’re not so great, they still find ways to make history.
What went wrong? Korda didn’t speak to the press after either of her rounds, but clearly she was undone on Thursday when she played her first eight holes in one under and the last 10 holes in four over, and required 34 putts. On Friday, she bounced back, just not far enough back. Facing crucial birdie tries in the 8- to 10-foot range on 17 and 18, she left both putts short.
Scheffler did speak to reporters, following his three-bogey 72 on Friday. He didn’t play all that poorly, he said; he just didn’t hit his approaches close enough to give him makable birdie tries. “That’s how you shoot over par,” he said.
Scheffler added he didn’t have the best luck, either. A gust here, an unfortunate roll off a slope there. On 8, his drive found a divot hole. But that’s links golf. “This golf course can be just tough at times; there’s some humps and mounds out there,” he said. “I didn’t really feel like I played that bad.”
Scheffler won’t have to wait long for a chance to recalibrate. The Open Championship starts in six days, at Royal Birkdale, on England’s northwest coast. Korda has a bit longer to lick her wounds. She has an off week and then will get back at it at the Women’s Scottish Open at Dundonald Links in Ayshire.
Looking for another bet? Smart money says both players will use those weeks to start new cuts-made streaks.
