The pathway followed this year by Nelly Korda and Scottie Scheffler share a common direction for the world-ranked-number-one female and male players.
Both players started off the 2024 season with rocket-like launches.
Scheffler won five times on the PGA Tour prior to the US Open – a feat last accomplished by Tom Watson in 1980.
Korda amazingly did something rarely done — winning five consecutive tournaments and matching the winning streaks of past champions and Hall-of-Famers Nancy Lopez and Annika Sörenstam.
In addition, both Scheffler and Korda won the first major championship of the year at The Masters and The Chevron Championship.
But then the play for each – most notably for Korda – dipped.
In her next three starts – the 26-year-old missed 36-hole cuts with two of those events major championships – the Women’s US Open and the KPMG PGA Championship.
The early season momentum the 26-year-old had built stopped abruptly. Fueling questions on how such a fall-off in performance could happen when compared to her stellar play demonstrated from earlier in the season.
In her most recent event – the Amundi Evian Championship, another major event – Korda did make the cut but was not a factor with a T26 finish.
The Florida native is now competing at this week’s women’s golf championship at the Summer Olympics. Four years ago, she won the gold medal at the Tokyo games. Now, Korda is seeking to repeat that success in Paris.
Korda’s first round play started slowly – three-over-par for the first 8 holes – but she rallied with three birdies over the final 11 holes for a score of even-par 72.
Her position leaves her a full seven shots behind France’s Céline Boutier who scored a seven-under-par 65 with just one bogey on her scorecard. A total of eleven other players are situated between Korda and Boutier.
It’s been rightly said big-time championships are not won during the first 18 holes but can be lost through sloppy or indifferent play during an opening round. Korda has kept herself in the mix but will need to play far better in attempting to secure a medal.
Korda is seeking to do what Scheffler did just one week earlier when claiming the gold medal with an awe-inspiring closing round of 62 – highlighted by a magnificent inward half score of 29.
Scheffler had come into the Olympics following lack luster efforts at the two final men’s major events – the US Open and Open Championship – with T41 and T7 finishes respectively. The sight of him four-putting the 9th hole during the final round at Troon was difficult to watch.
But the Texan changed the storyline with a spectacular final round. Putting to rest the whispers on whether the two major triumphs of Xander Schauffele were about to surpass him for Player-of-the-Year honors.
Korda outlined her play from the first round as caused by inconsistent greens speeds.
“The greens were just so like completely different, just from the practice green to the golf course, they were a lot slower. I feel like they were almost a foot slower from what I felt personally. It was very much a pace thing. I actually came up really short on No. 1. Short on No. 2. Very short on No. 3. So it was just a pace thing.”
Getting off to such a very slow start could have created a spiraling concern but Korda demonstrated a steely resolve that could be the catalyst in serving her well with three rounds to play.
“I just got into the mindset of one shot at a time.”
The gold medal triumph in Tokyo served as the launching pad for Korda’s career. Her arrival in Paris is now about reclaiming the momentum she created earlier this year when winning consistently was a constant outcome.
“I was very lucky with having two parents that played professional tennis, and also my sister being a professional golfer. Burnouts are very easy. It’s easy to just push through it and just tell yourself, you know, just grind it out.”
Korda has attempted a delicate balancing act in knowing how much to play in order to sustain her sharpness.
“But as important as it is to grind it out, it’s important to put your clubs away and just be a regular human being. For me, it was like I finally realized that everything that I did at the start of the year, I kind of enjoyed it a little bit more with my family and realized how big of an accomplishment that is; and that life and golf and everything is such a roller coaster that it’s good to step away and appreciate the whole journey.”
With 54 holes to play, Korda realizes the need to follow-up on the play she showed during the final nine holes of her first round.
The energy and vibe of those watching the play is noticeable and something Korda sees as helping her in continuing to plug along.
“It’s amazing. We were actually talking that it would be so much fun to have a Solheim Cup out here. I know the Ryder Cup was amazing, but the atmosphere was insane. I can’t even imagine what it is like within Céline’s (Boutier) group. I’ve heard a couple of the roars, and it’s been such an amazing experience.”
Korda’s desire to be in the mix during Saturday’s final round will need the kind of consistent play she showed when winning so thoroughly earlier in the year.
When one is located on the top step as the sport’s premier player – the constant drumbeat in pushing matters ever forward is a never-ending reality. That’s the grind Korda faces now whenever she tees it up.
Nelly has not tasted victory since claiming the Mizuho Americas Open in New Jersey in mid-May. The stakes at Le Golf National will indicate whether she is ready for the test ahead.
The Chinese are famous in saying the longest journey begins with the first step. Thursday’s second round is where such a journey will need to happen.
54 holes remain. Questions abound. Answers needed.
Whoa Nelly!
Korda will need to turn matters around quickly if a return engagement to the medal podium is on the agenda.
Related: Home favourite Céline Boutier takes opening lead
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