‘I almost broke my wrist!’ – Nelly Korda tussles with heather at AIG Women’s Open
The World No 1 could have been out of the last major of the year before it even began!
One feature of Walton Heath is already showing its teeth, and the AIG Women’s Open hasn’t even begun.
“I almost broke my wrist today,” World No. 1 Nelly Korda said of the heather, something Rose Zhang also threw caution to when speaking in Surrey.
Korda joked about the tough turf surrounding the fairways on Wednesday, but the American knows the heather is no laughing matter as she pursues a second major title and another win after her success on the Aramco Team Series last month.
“It’s not easy. It’s really bouncy,” she added.
“If you get a good lie, then maybe – but I would say 95 per cent of the time you will be pitching out with a 58 degree just to try to get it back into play. It’s really tough to get out of that.”
Cheers @NellyKorda! pic.twitter.com/FBRb8xYCnw
— AIG Women’s Open (@AIGWomensOpen) August 8, 2023
Korda, 25, outlined creativity as an important aspect this week as she looks to add to the Women’s PGA Championship trophy she lifted in 2021.
A disappointing 80 in the final round of this year’s US Women’s Open shouldn’t take away from strong finishes at the Chevron Championship and the recent Amundi Evian Championship, where she finished tied ninth.
With only one top-10 in her career at the AIG Women’s Open since 2017, Korda knows what’s required if she is to taste victory at the year’s last major championship.
“I think British-style golf courses, you have to use a lot more creativity,” she explained.
“I would say it’s a completely different style of golf. I would say depending on the weather and style of golf course, you have to have a lot of creativity out here.
“You have to hit shots you normally wouldn’t on other golf courses. Typically with golf courses in the US, it’s very tight lies and you have to hit it high into the greens, and here you actually can chase it up. I mean, here you have to hit low bullets out here so the wind doesn’t affect it.”
READ MORE: AIG Women’s Open tee times and pairings
READ MORE: AIG Women’s Open betting tips and preview
Can Nelly Korda win at Walton Heath and claim a second major? Let us know with a Tweet!
Matt Coles
Mention a European country, and Matt will tell you which resorts make the National Club Golfer Top 100s: European Resorts list. He might even throw in who designed the golf course and how many rooms the hotel has got at each one…
Matt got into the game of golf from a young age, following his old man to the local golf club. He fell for the sport, and now can’t seem to go a day without thinking about how to improve his game (Thanks Dad!). Matt has been a member of Howley Hall GC in Leeds since 2020, and is just about managing to maintain a single-figure handicap. He likes to remind people that he once broke 75, but won’t tell people that it was on a shortened course during the winter.
He moved to Leeds after graduating from the University of Central Lancashire with a First Class Honours degree in Sports Journalism. Matt joined NCG after almost five years travelling the world with the Professional Squash Association, working on events in all four corners of the globe.
Matt currently plays a Cobra King LTDx driver and RadSpeed 3-wood. TaylorMade monopolise the rest of his bag, with a SIM UDI, M5 irons and both Milled Grind and HI-TOE wedges, along with a Monza Redline putter. He uses a Vice Pro Plus golf ball, because he’s a bit different…
Away from golf, Matt is a Manchester United fan, and a keen runner, having ran the Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon (his first and possibly last), in May 2023.
