So the question is: who on earth is going to stop Nelly Korda from winning this week’s US Women's Open at Lancaster Country Club?
The American is dominating women’s golf like no golfer has done since Annika Sorenstam was in her prime. Unbelievably, she has won six of her past seven starts on the LPGA Tour, an unprecedented level of domination in the modern era.
She has made eight starts in 2024. It began with a tie for 16th place at the Tournament of Champions in January. The following week she won the Drive On Championship. In March she won the Seri Pak Championship, the Ford Championship and the T-Mobile Matchplay. She followed that with a victory at the season’s opening major, the Chevron, before finishing seventh at the Founders Cup and then winning the Americas Cup.
It has been a truly extraordinary run that has seen her climb to the top of the women’s world rankings. She leads the money list by a country mile with earnings of almost $3m.
"It’s been a lot of fun," Korda said. "For me it’s more rewarding that all the hard work that I’ve put in, all the rollercoaster that I went through from the end of 2021 with my injuries to this year is just super-rewarding."
Such has been her domination that when she opted to sit out an LPGA event a couple of weeks ago, she received a text message from England’s Georgia Hall that said: "Thanks for giving us a chance."
The 25-year-old tops the world rankings with double the points of her nearest rival, fellow American Lilia Vu.
Hall said that her friend's play in 2024 is just what the women's game needs.
"In a way I hope it continues like that because it's just amazing to see," Hall said. "I just can't get my head around it. Six out of seven is just unbelievable.
"It's great for the game in general. Although we obviously want to win more than anything, for her to keep winning like she is, it's just doing great things for us, promoting the tournaments and the Tour in general."
Robert MacIntyre recently spoke about how difficult it has been adapting to life in the USA. Hall is in her seventh season as a member of the LPGA Tour but has opted not to move full-time to the United States. She said: "I'll try and do three weeks in a row. I don't want to do more because that's tough.
"The amount of times I finish a round and it's 5pm in America and everyone is asleep in the UK. If you play badly you're just sat there, you can't speak to anyone.
"That's half the mental battle of making sure you're mentally happy and prepared to go out and play good golf. I love being home and love being in the UK, and that's never going to change."
Hall is a former Women’s British Open winner and would love to add to her major tally. But she knows that Korda is the woman to beat.
She was born in Bradenton, Florida on July 28, 1998 and is the daughter of former tennis star Petr Korda.
Korda was a member of the 2015 U.S.Junior Solheim Cup team. As an amateur, she won the 2015 Harder Hall Invitational, and the 2015 PING Invitational, and was a 2015 AJGA Rolex Junior All-American. She also made the cut at the 2013 US Women’s Open, one month before her 15th birthday.
She began her pro career in 2016 on the Symetra Tour, winning her first pro event at the Sioux Falls Challenge after shooting rounds of 68-67-69-66. She ended the season ninth on the money list, thus earning her LPGA Tour card for 2017. Her first win came at the Swinging Skirts LPGA Taiwan Championship in October 2018. It made her and her sister Jessica the third pair of sisters to win in LPGA history.
Korda won the Women’s Australian Open in February 2019. In doing so, she completed a "Family Slam" in Australia. Her father, Petr, won the 1998 Australian Open singles in tennis. Her older sister, Jessica, won the Women's Australian Open in 2012 and her younger brother, Sebastian, won the 2018 Australian Open junior boys in tennis.
On February 28, 2021, Korda won the Gainbridge LPGA at Lake Nona Golf and Country Club in Orlando, Florida. In June she claimed the Meijer LPGA in Michigan. She shot a career best 62 in the third round.
Later the same month she landed her first major, the KPMG, and climbed to the top of the world rankings.
In August 2021 in the second round of the Olympic Games golf tournament Korda stood on the 18th tee at -11 for her round. A birdie would have given her a round of 59 but she double bogeyed the hole for a 62. She went on to win the gold medal.
In November, Korda won the Pelican Women’s Championship for her fourth LPGA victory of 2021. She was the first American to win four times in an LPGA Tour season since Stacy Lewis in 2012.
She had the lowest scoring average on tour (68.774) in her 62 rounds, although she finished second on the money list ($2,382,198) to Lydia Ko ($3,502,161).
In March 2022, Korda announced that she had a blood clot in her arm, so she would not compete in the Chevron Championship, the year's first major. She was sidelined until the US Women’s Open that year.
But this season has seen Korda take her game to a new level.
There are eight former champions in the field, with Allisen Corpuz back to defend her title. Corpuz became the first American in 20 years to make the US Women's Open her first LPGA title, closing with a 3-under 69 at Pebble Beach.
Corpuz pulled away with a big par putt and back-to-back birdies on the back nine to enjoy the most scenic walk in golf up the 18th fairway, the Pacific Ocean on her left and her place secured as the first US Women's Open champion at Pebble Beach.
She won by three shots over Charley Hull and Jiyai Shin and claimed the $2 million prize, the richest ever for an LPGA major champion.
When she tapped in for par at the last, she covered her smile with her hand and wiped tears away.
"Unreal," Corpuz said. "This week has felt like a dream come true. It's been really awesome to be at Pebble Beach this week. Every few holes I kind of looked out and thought, 'I'm here at Pebble. There's not many places better than this."
Former President Barack Obama was among the first to congratulate her on Twitter. Both went to Punahou School in Honolulu. "You make us all proud - and look forward to a round at Kapolei!," Obama tweeted.
Hilary Lunke in 2003 at Pumpkin Ridge was the last American to get her first win at the US Women's Open, that one in a three-way Monday playoff.
Corpuz, who finished at 9-under 279, was the only player to break par all four days.
Tournament Winners:
It was won in 2015 by In Gee Chun, in 2016 by Brittany Lang, in 2017 by Park Sung-hyun, in 2018 by Ariya Jutanugarn, in 2019 by Lee Jong-eun, in 2020 by Kim A-Lim, in 2021 by Yuka Saso, in 2022 by Minjee Lee and last year by Allisen Corpuz.
The Course:
Lancaster Country Club is a par 70 that measures 6,840 yards. It is hosting the tournament for the second time. Designed by William Flynn, it opened in 1900.
Form Guide:
When it comes to form it is impossible to look beyond Nelly Korda, the winner of six tournaments in 2024, including a major.
To Win:
Nelly Korda. Surprise, surprise!
Each Way:
Charley Hull. Long overdue a major success
Each Way:
Lilia Vu. Is a major specialist
Five to Follow:
Nelly Korda. In a class of her own
Charley Hull. Fabulous ball striker
Lilia Vu. Enjoyed a fabulous 2023
Lydia Ko. Capable of winning on any course
Allisen Corpuz. Defending champion
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