With an overhead camera trained on their group in the scoring area Friday night, television eyes were on Nelly Korda. She looked forward, barely blinking, as several thoughts, or perhaps none, passed through her mind.
For the second time in less than a month, Korda failed to break 80 in an LPGA major. She went from being one out of an 18-hole lead to her third consecutive missed cut at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.
The world No. 1 had eight bogeys, a double bogey and a solitary last-shot birdie, shooting a 9-over 81 at Sahalee Country Club in Sammamish, Washington. He scored the highest score of his as a professional.
Korda finished 36 holes at 6 over par, one off the cut line.
After winning six of his first eight starts this season, including five in a row, Korda has failed to advance to the weekend three times in a row (the first time in his career). She started with an opening 80 at the US Women’s Open, which caused her to miss the cut. She continued, after a week off, with rounds of 76-67 at the Meijer LPGA Classic. And it culminated (at least for now) with performances at polar opposites over two days in the Pacific Northwest.
“Speechless,” an emotional Korda said briefly after her round. “I’m just going to go home and try to reset.”
A few weeks ago at Lancaster Country Club, Korda shot a 10 on his third hole of the national championship and never recovered. This time there was no big mistake; rather, a constant stream of errors.
He began this major by making nearly 110 feet of putts with 69 shots, putting him one behind the overnight lead. The putter, however, did not cooperate in Round 2. In fact, his game was not fully realized.
The trouble began immediately when Korda hit his tee shot on the first into a fairway bunker and played his second shot into short position. A bad throw led to two putts and a bogey.
He then missed a 3-footer for par on the second, missed a 12-footer for par after going long on the par-3 third, and then missed another 3-footer for par on the fourth.
Four holes, four bogeys.
He seemed to have righted the ship on the par-3 fifth, hitting his tee shot to 5 feet, but again, he missed the putt.
Korda then found the rough left off the tee on the par-5 sixth and had trouble escaping. His second shot, with a fairway wood, only traveled 85 feet and his third shot was 103 yards. After finally finding the putting surface, he missed par save from 11 feet.
Five more on the day, 2 more for the championship and eight shots behind the leader, Korda made par putts from within 7 feet on Nos. 7 and 8. But after going long off the green on the par-3 ninth, his par Except from 15 feet he clung to the edge and did not fall.
His tap-in for his sixth bogey of the round was his 18th putt on the inside half.
Things didn’t get better on the back nine.
Korda made bogey on the par-5 11thth and par 4 14th holes to place it on the projected cut line. After missing the left fairway on the par-4 15ththhis hybrid approach shot bounced over the green and ended up just beyond the out-of-bounds stakes.
He had to accept a stroke and distance penalty, and after hitting his fourth shot, he wiped away tears as he walked toward the green. The double bogey that followed left her out of the top 90.
Korda managed to birdie the par-5 18thth but the cutting line did not waver.
“Everything went my way at the beginning of the year,” Korda said, “and I’m just picking it up.”