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Forget elegant Nelly, this was more like careless Nelly. While she appeared to have the AIG Women’s Open in her grasp, she lost five shots in six holes here on the Old Course and isn’t even in the final group on Sunday.
Of course, at five under par and just two shots behind leader Jiyai Shin – the Korean who shot a 67 – the world number one is far from out of contention. But Nelly Korda is at her best when she is calm and collected, with a mood that matches her fluid and beautifully simple swing. And despite a birdie on the 18th that corrected at least some of the damage, Korda was anything but serene.
The 26-year-old refused to speak to the press and was visibly furious. She agreed to speak on television – naturally – and did not sound too optimistic. “It will be a difficult day. I think the wind will blow hard. It could also rain. I will keep a positive attitude. I will take my chance once and for all. I played very well the first two days.”
In truth, Korda played the first 11 holes well on Saturday. She was caught by Charley Hull after three holes – the Englishwoman then struggled to post a 75 that put her five off the lead – but she then steadied the ship and when she finished third at the 12th hole, no one here would have believed that by the end of the round the world number one would not be in the top two.
She made bogey on the par-4 and matched the mistake on the 13th, then hit it out of bounds on the 16th, cutting her drive over the top. On the 17th hole, she missed par by three feet. Korda, seeking her seventh title of the season and second major of 2024, is now trying to catch up because of that 75.
Her three wins on the 18th took some guts. She’s clearly still pretty close and we know she’s pretty good, but after looking so impenetrable in the gusts, this was quite a swing and in Shin there’s a campaigner who knows how to win this event.
Indeed, if the 36-year-old wins, she would become the first woman to win a hat-trick of Women’s Open titles since the tournament became a major. Furthermore, Vu is the defending champion and showed great courage in birding three of five rounds to post a 71 and move to six under par.
Tied for fourth at four under par are Olympic champion Lydia Ko (71) and another Korean, Jenny Shin (70), with former world number one Atthaya Thitikul in a group at three under par.
Hull and compatriot Lottie Woad follow, and while the former still has hopes of improving on last year, her form on Saturday did not inspire confidence, including a double bogey on the fifth hole when she was forced to chip sideways from two fairway bunkers. However, Hull is the type who excels when it comes to being aggressive and that will certainly be the case in what should be a thrilling finale.
Whatever Woad takes away from this week – and the least of the amateur’s ambitions will be a top 10 finish – the 20-year-old from Surrey will always remember her eagle on golf’s most famous final hole.
From 80 yards, Woad sent his shot soaring over the Valley of Sin and watched in amazement as his ball bounced before skidding and spinning into the cup. On a day when the Old Course reaffirmed its penchant for drama, Woad’s moment in front of the R&A clubhouse drew the biggest cheers.
“I struggled all day, I couldn’t really hole a putt or hit it that close. I was just trying to make my first birdie of the day and then it went in,” Woad said after his 72. “I’ll remember that for the rest of my life. It was a really loud putt and it made my afternoon a lot better.”
