Nelly Korda didn’t have much to say after a tumultuous Thursday, except that she is also a human being. And, like other human beings, the world’s No. 1 female golfer is fallible. Her exploits on the greens might make it hard to believe—she is the only third LPGA pro to win five straight tournaments. Korda is also the only the second LPGA pro to win six times before June. 

But, of course, even the best have bad days. The two-time Major champion accepted it without any excuses. “Just honestly, I just didn’t play well today. I didn’t hit it good. I found myself in the rough a lot. Making a 10 on a par-3 will definitely not do you any good at a U.S. Open.”

That 10, on par-3 12th, though, made all the difference. Korda’s 6-iron found the bunker on the back of the pin. Her recovery shot landed on the creek on the other side. That started a 20-minute standoff at the 161-yard hole. After two further shots in the water and a missed putt, the 12-time LPGA Tour winner left the greens, signing the first septuple bogey of her career. 

The 25-year-old hit only 6 fairways from 14, 15% less than the field average. She missed eight greens in regulation at Lancaster Country Club. Nelly Korda, though, reiterated in the post-round press conference, “I’m human. I’m going to have bad days. I played some really solid golf up to this point. Today was just a bad day. That’s all I can say.” 

Korda’s comments have resonated with fans. It’s a lesson in humility, as many of them pointed out. The 14-time LPGA Tour winner is a fan favorite, and the netizens’ reaction to her comments further evinced that. 

Fans send virtual hugs and thumbs up to Nelly Korda 

Netizens believe that Nelly Korda will bounce back stronger like she did on a couple of occasions in the past. The Florida resident is already back in the driving range within an hour of her first round. PGA of America posted from the Instagram handle, “Nelly Korda and her PGA Coach Jamie Mulligan are right back to work after her first round at the @uswomensopen.” 

The Internet seems to be unanimous in Comments like “She’ll bounce back strong,” and  “Chin up @NellyKorda onwards and upwards.”. One of them tweeted, “She, rightfully, could be pretty upset and snarky after how her first round turned out but shes got such a positive “glass half full” outlook.”

It should be noted that the 12th played out as the hardest hole of the day. There had been 21 double bogeys so far at the relatively short but gnarly hole. Korda, herself, said in the post-round interview that there was already a long wait on the 12th when her group arrived there. So fans think, for Korda, too, “It’s just a bad day at work.” One user commented, “It happens to everyone unfortunately“.

Korda’s first goal will remain making the cut. She is 10 over after the first round, sitting 11 shots behind the leader. Although the scoring has been tough, eroding a ten-shot deficit on the cut day will be a tough task for the 25-year-old.