This year, the Mizuho Americas Open has been afflicted with troubles one after another. Whether it be the series of withdrawals, the disqualification of an athlete, slowplay, or the turbulent weather, the last hindrance on the list even irked the 13-time LPGA Tour winner as she vocalized the sheer frustration it had caused during the early rounds at the Liberty National Golf Club.

The weather gods did not show any mercy on the New Jersey event during the third round either. The conditions on the third day of the Mizuho Americas Open started mild, but eventually, the drizzle only kept picking up and turned into a steady shower. Nelly Korda was paired up with Ariya Jutanugarn at 12:24 p.m. ET, being the second last pair to tee off. And the weather became a huge challenge for the final pairings as it became cold and damp. However, Nelly Korda was one step ahead in her preparations, which resulted in a little extra workout for her caddie!

Nelly Korda has her caddie carrying around a heavy bag

Hailing from Florida, the Sunshine State, Korda is particularly not fond of cold conditions, especially during sporting events and tournaments. The cold has a rather negative affect on her physically, which becomes bothersome during her matches. She stated, “I don’t like being cold. I’m a Florida girl and I start to shiver and I kind of start to lock up in a sense. My muscles start to tense up.”

How does the 25-year-old tackle this problem? With a lot of clothes! To ensure that the blood is flowing through her muscles and to avoid any stiffness in her body, the LPGA pro always tries to keep herself warm.

The extra clothes do add more weight to her bag, which is carried by her caddie, Jason McDede, a fact that she is not much proud of, “For me I always have a lot of layers. I feel bad for my caddie, but my golf bag is always super heavy because I make sure I’m over-prepared, not under-prepared when it comes to that.” 

After the third round, Nelly Korda took the top spot on the leaderboard after finishing her third round with a score of 7-under 65. With just one more round remaining before the Mizuho Americas Open concludes, Korda has no intention of changing her strategy. She said, “This golf course is quite tough, especially if the conditions get tougher, so just going to take my chances where I can and see how it goes.” But the question is, why is it so important for Nelly Korda to take over her sixth win on the Tour? Here’s why.

What will happen if Korda wins the Mizuho Americas Open

While Nelly Korda has already etched her name as only the third player to win five consecutive LPGA Tour tournaments, after Nancy Lopez (1978) and Annie Sorenst (2004–2005), her hunger for it has not subsided. If she manages to grab the win on Sunday at Liberty National, she will become the first player after Inbee Park (2013) to win six or more tournaments in a season. She will become the eighth player to do so, after Betsy King, Annika Sorenstam, Karrie Webb, Lorena Ochoa, Beth Daniel, and Yani Tseng.

If Korda manages to continue with her gameplay, she will also tie with Sorenstam and become the fastest player to have won six events! But given the weather, her road to creating history will be tougher than usual. Do you think Nelly Korda will finally be able to grab her sixth victory of the season? Let us know in the comments section below!