World No. 1 Nelly Korda has not had the best track record at the U.S. Women’s Open. But you would not know it by her performance on Friday.
Nelly Korda fired off a 5-under 67 Friday at Erin Hills to sit inside the top five at the 2025 U.S. Women’s Open.
She shot up 29 spots on the leaderboard after she opened the 80th U.S. Women’s Open with an even par 72.
Korda opened the day with a birdie and a bogey before she got hot. She landed three birdies on the par 4 4th, par 4 5th and par 5 7th holes. The No. 1 player in the world added two more at 12 and 14 to get to 5-under on the day.
However, she dropped a shot at 15 and added her final birdie on 17 to come home in 34 strokes. It marked her best score in this event, as it is one tournament that does not typically end well for her.
In her 11 Women’s U.S. Open starts, Korda’s best finish was a T8 in 2022 at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club in North Carolina, and it marked just her second top 10.
Last year, she missed the cut at Lancaster Country Club despite having a historic seven-win season.
“Yeah, I’ve had a very complicated relationship with U.S. Opens. But I’m happy to be in the position I am heading into the weekend,” Korda said after her round on Friday.
Her two bogeys came off short misses, but that did not deter her from spiraling. Erin Hills is an incredibly tough golf course, so those mistakes can often be detrimental.
Korda stayed focused and did not let her inconsistent history at the Women’s U.S. Open affect what happened Friday. Patience is one of those things she wanted to focus on for this event.
“I’m not riding the roller coaster like sometimes I do,” she explained. “I’ve been just trying to be very level-headed and just know if I make a mistake, I can bounce back.”
She bounced back Friday after both of those squares on the scorecard by making a birdie afterward each time. It resulted in her being in the top 5 for the first time after any 36 holes at the Women’s U.S. Open.
Nelly Korda has never been inside the top 5 of the U.S. Women’s Open leader board after any of her 36 career rounds.Until today!@Ally pic.twitter.com/TJSGIdLHf3
— U.S. Women’s Open (@uswomensopen) May 30, 2025
Korda is sixth in strokes gained approach at +2.64. She is also 10th in strokes gained off the tee at +1.76, and she also hit 11 of 14 fairways. Those stats are huge at this golf course.
However, it was her flat stick that helped her shine. Korda made over 100 feet of putts after she made a putter switch earlier this year. Now she uses a TaylorMade Spider Tour V since the Chevron Championship.
Korda is three off the leader, Mao Saigo from Japan. Saigo paced the field with a 6-under 66 to sit at 8-under overall. Hinako Shibuno and Sarah Schmeizel both sit tied for second at 6-under.
Regardless, the 26-year-old is in contention at another major championship as she looks to win her third career major and her first win of 2025.
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