Korda unfazed by decline
LOS ANGELES (AFP) — World No. 1 Nelly Korda has shrugged off her recent dip in form as she chases the third major title of her career at this week’s Women’s PGA Championship in Washington state.
Korda arrived in the Pacific Northwest after back-to-back missed cuts at the US Women’s Open and last week’s LPGA Meijer Classic, a sharp contrast to her blistering early season run of six tournament wins in seven starts.
But the 25-year-old is worlds away from hitting the panic button as she prepares to tackle the tight fairways of Sahalee Country Club in Sammamish, where accuracy is paramount.
Korda instead prefers to focus on the positive aspects of her recent struggles, maintaining that the occasional trough is inevitable.
“You can dwell on the negatives, but that will never lead you anywhere, so you try to look at the positives,” Korda said.
“That’s golf. I’m going to go through these situations so many times where I feel like I’m playing really well; and I’ll go through a little lull where golf is the hardest thing in my life right now.”
“I feel like that’s what grows me as a person and what makes me appreciate the sport so much and makes me appreciate the wins and the highs and good shots.”
While accuracy off the tee at Sahalee is critical, Korda says she has no plans to rein in her signature, big-hitting style as she tackles the demanding 6,731-yard, par-72 layout. “Still going to be aggressive,” she said. “There’s a couple holes where I can’t hit the driver, but for the majority of the round I will be hitting the driver just because you don’t want a longer club into these greens.”
Scheffler, defending champion Xander Schauffele, Wyndham Clark and Collin Morikawa have qualified to represent the United States.
Pagdanganan is at No. 35 while Ardina is at No. 55, five notches above the cut-off line entering the last two qualifying events.
Below the top 15, players qualify based on their world ranking, with a maximum of two eligible players from each country that does not already have two or more players among the top 15.
The host country, France, was guaranteed at least one spot, as was each of the five continents of the Olympic movement.
McIlroy, second in the world rankings, is set to represent Ireland at the former Ryder Cup venue, Le Golf National, from 1 to 4 August, alongside former British Open champion Shane Lowry. Scheffler, defending champion Xander Schauffele, Wyndham Clark and Collin Morikawa have qualified to represent the United States.