Despite her undisputable run in 2024, Nelly Korda was never the favorite American to win the 2024 U.S. Women’s Open. The reality for the world No. 1 at the major has always been disappointing, with just two top-10 finishes out of nine starts and two missed cuts. Unfortunately, she has now managed to increase the tally of missed cuts to three following the Friday round of the ongoing edition of the tournament.

The golfer was spotted in an interview after the second round of the contest at the Lancaster Country Club. “I knew it was going to be a tough day,” admitted the athlete after recounting the day’s scores. She had scored an even par 70 in the second round following a dismal performance on Thursday. The American Pro had carded three birdies consecutively on the front nine, allowing her to reach the projected cutline of 8-over at one point in time.

It was, however, not enough for Korda to qualify for the moving day, as she followed the same with two more bogeys on the par-4, 9th hole, and the par-4, 18th, increasing her score back to 10-over par overall. She had already scored a bogey on the par-4, 1st hole, making her situation all the more bleak. The 25-year-old was, thus, visibly heartbroken after the round. “There’s not many low scores out here, and I was pretty far back,” said the professional before coming out candid on her attitude, “Tried to give it my all. That’s what I do with every round. I had nothing to lose, so that was kind of like the mentality. Just go for it.”

What made the situation so despairing was her first day at the major. Nelly Korda had dished out a score of 10-over par 80 at the Thursday round of the event, all thanks to her three birdies, six bogeys, and a septuple-bogey-10 on the par-3, 12th. But on Friday, she made a par score on the unfortunate hole, allowing the golfer much solace. “It’s definitely not one of my favorite holes,” recounted the 2-time major champ before adding how she hit her iron shot badly at the par-3, 12th. “I hit it chunky, and thankfully it held up. I was kind of in a really fluffy weird grassy lie. It almost kind of felt like Bermuda fluffy, so I just tried to jab at it knowing it was uphill.” But fate had a different plan for the athlete this time around.

She said with a breath of relief, “I actually thought I missed the putt, and the golf gods kind of made it go to the left, and I made it. It was nice to make a par. I wanted to make a birdie to get my revenge on that hole, but par will do.” Even though she missed the cut as a result of the hole, her spot at the top of the rankings appears safe, especially with a huge gap between her and the No. 2 golfer.

A missed cut won’t endanger Nelly Korda’s No. 1 spot

With a win at the Fir Hills Seri Pak Championship, the 25-year-old was able to push herself past the then-No. 1 athlete Lilia Vu on the Rolex Rankings and claim the top spot for herself. A subsequent series of victories on the greens at the Ford Championship presented by KCC, T-Mobile Match Play presented by MGM Rewards, The Chevron Championship, and the Mizuho Americas Open helped her increase her total points to 520.22.

This, in turn, has placed her in a very safe spot despite missing the cut at the ongoing major since No. 2 on the standings only has a figure of 276.80, which is 241.42 less than Korda’s. Her fans can thus breathe a sigh of relief knowing that her top spot won’t be taken away anytime soon!