Despite World No.1 Status, Why Is Nelly Korda Not the Favorite American to Win 2024 US Women’s Open?

She is the undisputed No. 1 golfer on the women’s circuit. Yes, we are talking about the American professional Nelly Korda who has raked in a whopping six victories on the LPGA Tour, not to mention how she won the first five consecutively, including a major. With another major upcoming, many would be expecting her to dish out a win yet again. But the reality may turn out much differently!

The 79th U.S. Women’s Open will soon commence at the Lancaster Country Club on May 30. The event will witness a total of 156 golfers, including Nelly Korda, who will be aiming for the trophy. However, her stats for the major championship do not present her as a likely winner among the field of athletes.

Is Nelly Korda in for another disappointment at the U.S. Women’s Open?

The 2024 Chevron Championship winner made her first U.S. Open start back in 2013 when she was just 14 years old. Korda, unfortunately, failed to make a mark during the tournament that was held at Sebonack Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y., as she could only finish tied for T64 with a score of 22 above par 310.

What followed the now-25-year-old since then has been a series of dismal performances, with just a couple standing out as exceptions. During the 2018 edition of the U.S. Women’s Open at Shoal Creek, she raked in her first-ever top-10 finish at T10 with a score of even par 288. Years later, in 2022, the professional bested her own record at the Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club when she finished T8 with a score of 2-under 282.

The rest of Korda’s starts include two missed cuts at the 2020 and 2021 editions, which were held at Champions Golf Club and The Olympic Club (Lake Course) respectively. Aside from these two, the 2-time major champ finished T59 in 2016 at CordeValle, T-44 in 2017 at the Old Course in Trump National Golf Club, T39 in 2019 at the Country Club of Charleston, and a T64 at the 2023 edition at Pebble Beach Golf Links.

Even while sporting such stats at the second major of the women’s circuit, the golfer has the right to call herself ‘one of the best in the sport’. Especially so when she sports a huge gap between herself and the professional who is ranked second on the Rolex Rankings.

Korda’s rise to the top of the rankings

Korda was able to clinch her first win at the 2024 LPGA Drive On Championship. But what pushed her past Lilia Vu to the top was her victory at the Fir Hills Seri Pak Championship. This helped her become the No. 1 on the Rolex Rankings for the sixth time in her career, the first of which came in 2021 after she won her first major.

Since then, she has cemented herself at the top with four more victories at the Ford Championship presented by KCC, T-Mobile Match Play presented by MGM Rewards, The Chevron Championship, and the Mizuho Americas Open. Korda has, as a result of the wins, increased her total points to 520.22 which is 241.42 more than what Lilia Vu has, at 276.80. Well, it looks like she will still top the rankings even if the professional fails to win the upcoming tournament.