Nelly Korda says she feels no extra pressure heading into the AIG Women’s Open, despite having failed to build on her extraordinary winning streak at the start of the LPGA Tour season.
Korda won the opening major of the year at the Chevron Championship as part of a run of five consecutive LPGA Tour victories, equalling the record previously set by Nancy Lopez and Annika Sorenstam, then claimed the Mizuho Americas Open in May for a sixth win in seven starts.
A dramatic change in fortunes saw her miss her next three cuts, including the US Women’s Open and KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, with Korda then failing to find a top-20 finish at either the Evian Championship or the Paris Olympics.
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We take a look back at World No 1 Nelly Korda’s incredible start to the season, where she won six times in the space of seven events
Korda remains top of the world rankings and among the favourites to claim a third major victory, with the 28-year-old not concerned about her dip in form over the past three months.
“I think that’s just life in general or sports,” Korda said in her pre-tournament press conference. “You’re never just going to shoot straight up, you’re going to go up and you’re going to go down.
“I think the best part of the downs is that you learn so much about yourself – it’s always a learning opportunity and I enjoy that. I always try to think of everything in a positive mindset.
“Now compared to the start of the year, obviously I’ve had some finishes that weren’t the best but, at the end of the day, I’m still learning and I’m still getting better from it.
“It [winning at St Andrews] would be obviously a dream come true to have my name etched into the history, but at the end of the day, I’m just going to focus that one shot at a time and not think of Sunday.”
Korda plays the first two rounds alongside England’s Charley Hull and world No 2 Lilia Vu, who can become the first player since Yani Tseng in 2011 to win back-to-back AIG Women’s Open titles.
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Trish Johnson tells the Sky Sports Golf Podcast that despite feeling Charley Hull has underachieved in her career so far, she thinks she is one of the favourites to win the AIG Women’s Open at St Andrews
“I’m not putting too much pressure on myself to defend a title,” Vu said. “It’s a new week at a new golf course. I’m just going to show up to the tournament the same way I do every single time and try to beat the course every day if it allows with the weather.
“I’m just going to try my best. Every single time that people think ‘oh, I’m defending something’, it feels like you have something to lose. When you start fresh at the beginning of the tournament, you haven’t won the tournament yet. So I think I’m going to stick to that kind of mindset.”
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Reigning Women’s Open champion Lilia Vu has vowed to treat herself to another pet cat if she win’s the Women’s Open at St Andrews, as she did last year after her victory at Walton Heath. Picture:@AIGWomensOpen
Ko: Too much focus on major wins?
Former world No 1 Lydia Ko secured her spot in the LPGA Hall of Fame after winning gold at the Paris Olympics earlier this month, although has failed to add to her two major victories since her Chevron Championship success – when she was still a teenager – in 2016.
“Our goal is to try and peak at the majors, but it’s easier said than done,” Ko said ahead of the AIG Women’s Open. “You could do everything correct, and it just could be that time of the month or you could just be tired or get the wrong side of the draw. There’s just so many variables that you can’t control.
“I think it’s a lot harder and I know that every time Rory [McIlroy] tees it up, everyone asks him. Obviously he played amazing at the US Open but people always just talk about his finish. I mean, the guy played awesome, you know.
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A look back at the big misses that cost Rory McIlroy a first major in 10 years on a dramatic final day of the US Open
“I think sometimes we get carried away about who won, like how many years it’s been. Like it’s a drought, this, that, but I think it’s difficult. As players, we’re trying to work to be at the highest level at that time, but sometimes it just doesn’t go that way.
“No matter what, I’m so proud to be a major champion and I know that not all golfers have the opportunity to even say that. I do want to keep putting myself in contention, and I think if you do that, I’m going to become more comfortable being in that kind of position.”
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R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers confirms that if the weather is to worsen overnight at St. Andrews, there could be delays in play at the Women’s Open
Who will win the AIG Women’s Open? Watch all four rounds live this week on Sky Sports! Live coverage of the opening round begins Thursday at midday on Sky Sports Golf. Stream the women’s majors and more sport with NOW.