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Nelly Korda had entered the field at the Chevron Championship last week as the defending champion. However, she eventually finished T14 with a total score of 2-under.
Korda had a disastrous opening round on Thursday. She carded one birdie and six bogeys to score 5-over 77. The World No. 1 finished outside the top 100 after the culmination of Round 1. Although her performance improved as the tournament progressed, it was still not enough to put her in contention to defend her title.
During the post-round interview, Korda was reminded that she had mentioned wanting to adjust her schedule a bit. Reporters asked her what she would have liked to change. She answered by saying (via ASAP Sports):
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"It's just really tough with a 6 p.m. finishing time in LA on the west coast and having to get to a major. It's hard to be fresh on a Monday. So I just wish I maybe got 18 in, but we got rained out on Wednesday. Kind of tough. I was off early on Thursday. So wanted to prioritize my rest, but at the end of the day I mean, you just got to roll with the punches and continue learning."
Although Nelly Korda played in the pro-am rounds on Wednesday, she chose not to practice on the course that afternoon. She believes the decision might have had an effect on her performance through the week.
"Yeah, I mean, I didn't even -- I just played the pro-am, the front nine, so didn't get to chip, putt, see how the greens are releasing, since with this new pro-am protocol where we can't chip and putt anymore. So not having that kind of sucked. At the end of the day, I mean, I did have the chance to play in the afternoon on Wednesday and I didn't take it so it's on me," she mentioned.
Mao Saigo won the first Major of the season after prevailing in a five-way playoff comprising Ariya Jutanugarn, Kim Hyo-joo, Ruoning Yin and Lindy Duncan. The latter finished fifth, while the other three golfers tied for second.
How did Nelly Korda perform in the Chevron Championship?
Unarguably, Nelly Korda was one of the most formidable players in the field at the Chevron Championship last week. After a tragic first round outing, Korda staged a massive turnaround in her second round on Friday.
She posted four birdies in the first eight holes. In total she hit six birdies and two bogeys in Round 2 of the Chevron Championship. The ace golfer managed to make it past the 2-over cut line on Friday.
Korda struggled once again in Round 3 as she recorded six birdies, one bogey and two double bogeys to close the day at even par. In the final round, the defending champion hit five birdies and three bogeys to finish at 70. Her total score at the end of tournament was 2-under.
Although Nelly Korda couldn't successfully defend her title at the Chevron Championship this year, her journey from being at the bottom of the barrel after Round 1 to clawing her way past the cutline and finally finishing at T14, is in itself a spectacular turnaround.
