Olympic Golf: Nelly Korda Silences Questions About Worrying Form Ahead of Gold Medal Defense in Paris

The 2024 season has been a rollercoaster for Nelly Korda. The #1 golfer started the year with dominance, winning six of the first eight events. However, her fortune took a turn for the worse after her victory at the Mizuho Americas Open, as she went on to miss the cut in three consecutive tournaments.

The situation was disheartening enough, but it got worse during the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. Korda missed the cut, delivering a 6-over 81 in her second round, marking the worst round of her LPGA Tour career. Although she performed better at the Amundi Evian Championship, finishing T26, she decided to take a break and has now returned to defend her gold at the Olympics.

Nelly Korda is back after a “recharge”

The women’s golf at Le Golf National will commence on Wednesday, August 7th. Korda is getting ready to represent the USA after she did so in Tokyo. Hours before the showdown, she was asked about how she was feeling after the break, which she took after the setbacks.

Explaining the importance of a break Korda responded, “My parents have always said, it’s very important to put your head down, grind, go to the gym but it’s also important to recharge your battery because sometimes with all the obligations that you maybe have off the golf course, and then all the emotions that you feel on the golf course that you go through, all the adrenaline, it tears at you a little bit. So it’s good to kind of step away and to recharge your batteries and to come back a little bit more fresh,” in the pre-tournament press conference.  

Considering her response, it’s evident that the golfer is now feeling good and recharged to represent her country at Le Golf National. She also went to Croatia for a vacation and spent some time with her nephew as well. She also celebrated her 26th birthday last month. As the conversation continued, she was also asked about her rollercoaster ride in terms of performance and how she’s now feeling about it. Nelly Korda had a simple answer for that, as she said, “hopefully trending in the right direction.” 

The 26-year-old also talked about her break, revealing that she set her clubs aside for a week before dedicating two weeks to intensive training. Coming to the Paris Olympics, her swing coach, Jamie Mulligan, is there by her side to support her. Further in the interview, Korda talked about inconsistency in the game and said, “Sometimes you feel on top of the world, and in a matter of a couple seconds, you just feel like you’re at the bottom of the sea.” 

Later, she concluded her response by accepting that “everything can’t always go well.” Even though Korda is competing at the Olympics as part of Team USA, she is also the defending gold medalist. How does the #1 golfer feel about this?

Nelly Korda is planning to go all out

During the Tokyo Olympic Games, Korda won the gold medal in women’s golf, defeating Japan’s Mone Inami and New Zealand’s Lydia Ko in the final round. Now at Le Golf National, the 26-year-old is part of a 60-woman field in a quest to defend the gold medal. While talking about it, Nelly Korda said, “It’s been three years, and as you said, it’s a different country, a different venue. It doesn’t really feel like I’m defending, really.” 

Regardless of the result, the 14-time LPGA winner plans to enjoy her time at the Olympics. “So I’m just going to go out and enjoy the experience. Hopefully, enjoy the fans. The men had amazing fans out here. I was wowed by how many people are out here watching and just happy that I’m back in this position. I’m here representing my country. I’m a two-time Olympian, and I’m living out my dream,” said Nelly Korda, explaining her thoughts on the matter.

Do you think she will be able to bring it home like Scottie Scheffler did? Let us know in the comments below.