Major Issue Turns Nelly Korda Vulnerable Against Charley Hull as Team USA’s Golden Hopes Fade

The world’s No. 1 swimmer, Nelly Korda, is going to have a hard time at the 2024 Olympics. We are not saying it, but the statistics suggest she might! Korda is a former Olympic gold medalist and is here to defend her honor. She earned the first position for Team USA at the 2020 Tokyo Games. However, it will not be that easy for Korda this time, as a major competitor is waiting for her at Le Golf National.

Charley Hull is representing Great Britain at the Paris Olympics this year after turning down the chance to play at the 2020 Games because of her hectic schedule. This is her second time representing her home country at the ultimate patriotic showdown. The first was the 2016 Rio de Janeiro, where she tied for the seventh position, only two shots shy of the podium finish.

However, the 2-time LPGA winner is set to rule the greens and perhaps surpass the defending Olympic golf champion. The stats show that Korda’s driving distance has somewhat decreased over the past few years. Her average driving distance in 2021 was 275.121 yards, while her 2024 driving distance is 266.800 yards, according to the LPGA Tour website. The significant decrease of 8.321 yards has given other golfers, like the English golfer Hull an opening to take advantage.

For instance, Hull’s driving distance in 2024 is 270.030 yards, which is 3.23 more than Korda’s. This gives Hull an advantage over the 26-year-old Nelly Korda. The competition is going cutthroat as the highly coveted gold is on the line. This minor setback might make Nelly Korda vulnerable on the greens and could cost her defense of the medal. Although, Rose Zhang and Lilia Vu will also be representing the US in Paris but as the gold medal holder, people have the highest hopes and expectations from Nelly Korda. However, Hull is not the only one with an edge over Korda.

A few other golfers also have the lead over Nelly Korda

Korda will have to try harder at this year’s Olympics, that is for sure. She scored a brilliant 17-under 267 in 2021 to win, but that might not be enough for her this time. With players like Charley Hull, Linn Grant, and Yuka Saso overthrowing her in the driving distance stats.

In a surprising turn of events, Swedish representative Grant is leading the pack with an average driving distance of 270.540 yards, which is a mere 0.51 yards ahead of Hull. Meanwhile, Saso, who is playing for the Philippines at Le Golf National, is a little behind Grant and Hull in terms of driving distance, as hers stands at 268.060, but she’s still managing to overthrow the 14-time LPGA Tour winner by 1.26.

Korda will need to prove why she is the world’s apex golfer at the 2024 Paris Olympics by gearing up her driving distance. Meanwhile, Team USA will be under a lot of pressure, with amazing players like Grant, Hull, and Saso breathing down their necks and vying for a great podium finish. Do you think Korda will be able to secure a win for her country again, or will she face defeat at the hands of other talented golfers?