Nelly Korda won’t let claustrophobic fairways or two missed cuts in a row keep her from going full-throttle at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, live on Sky Sports.
The world No 1 arrived in the Pacific Northwest after back-to-back missed cuts at the US Women’s Open and last week’s LPGA Meijer Classic, a sharp contrast to her blistering early season run of six tournament wins in seven starts.
Korda wants to focus on the positive aspects of her recent struggles, maintaining that the occasional dip in form is inevitable.
“You can dwell on the negatives, but that will never lead you anywhere, so you try to look at the positives,” Korda said.
“That’s golf. I’m going to go through these situations so many times where I feel like I’m playing really well, and I’ll go through a little lull where golf is the hardest thing in my life right now.
“I feel like that’s what grows myself as a person and what makes me appreciate the sport so much and makes me appreciate the wins and the highs and good shots.”
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Korda says her strategy for this week’s major championship is to get the driver in her hands as often as possible, as she tackles the demanding 6,731-yard, par-72 layout.
“Still going to be aggressive,” the 25-year-old said. “There’s a couple of holes where I can’t hit driver, but majority of the round I will be hitting driver just because you don’t want a longer club into these greens. Yes, the tee shots are pretty intimidating, but the greens, the second shot in is pretty tough as well.
“So overall, I mean, if you have the length you may as well – you have to hit it. This is the type of golf course where you just got to sack up and hit your driver.”
Korda hopes that a refresh will lead to improved results after a surprising trough, where she finished with a shocking 10-over 80 in the first round of the US Women’s Open, which included a septuple-bogey 10 on a par-3 hole.
After that cut, she couldn’t recover from an opening 76 at last week’s Meijer LPGA Classic and missed her second straight weekend.
Korda, who won her first major at the 2021 Women’s PGA Championship, also admits she also has one eye on the defence of her Olympic gold medal at the Paris games next month.
“I have never been to Paris, and the one thing I’m really looking forward to is the croissants probably on every corner,” Korda joked.
Watch the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship throughout the week live on Sky Sports. Live coverage begins on Thursday from 9pm via the red button and 11pm on Sky Sports Golf. Stream the LPGA Tour, majors and more with NOW.
