TOWN OF ERIN — Playing in the final group teeing off in the third round of the U.S. Women’s Open at Erin Hills, Nelly Korda began the day tied for second and just three shots behind leader and playing partner Mao Saigo on May 31.
By the time Korda, the world’s No. 1 player, finished her 14th hole she was five shots back of Saigo.
After a 4-over start to her day that saw her drift further away from the top of the leaderboard, Korda settled in on the back nine. She made four straight pars before carding her first birdie of the day on the par 5, 14th hole. It moved her to 2-under and up into a tie for eighth with five others.
Saigo began the day at 8-under and had an up-and-down start to her day before a birdie on No. 12 got her back to 7-under.
Korda’s front nine a struggle
Unfortunately, it would be the closest to the lead she would be through the first half of her round.
Korda made the turn at 4-over for the day and tumbled all the way to a tie for 14th, five shots beyond a trio of co-leaders in Saigo, Rio Takeda and Maja Stark.
Korda bogeyed holes 2, 5, 7 and 9 for a front-nine 40, as her sharp ball striking the first two rounds began to dull in hitting just five of nine greens. She also needed 18 putts to finish her first nine holes.
Korda began the day three shots clear of Saigo (minus-8) at 5-under, but as Saigo birdied the first hole — a par 5 — Korda parred to fall four behind. Both players bogeyed the par 4, second hole, but Saigo bounced back with a birdie on the third. Saigo backed it up with another bogey, but Korda missed a 12-footer for birdie on the third and scrambled for par on the fourth.
The third player in the group, Hinako Shibuno, also birdied the first hole to get to 6-under.
As the trio got the fifth hole, Korda was four shots back of Saigo and tied for seventh at 4-under. Both players then bogeyed that hole, so Korda remains just four shots back but is now tied for 10th at 3-under.
Shibuno, meanwhile, has yet to bogey and is alone in second place at 6-under.
