Nelly Korda lurking at U.S. Women’s Open in first tournament back after blood clot

SOUTHERN PINES, N.C. – A simple rundown of Nelly Korda’s two rounds of 70-69 at the U.S. Women’s Open at Pine Needles Club & Lodge reveal she hasn’t missed a beat following her blood-clot recovery.

Korda hit 12 of 14 fairways in each of the first two rounds and 15 of 18 greens on Friday, showcasing her consistency. “If I missed, I missed in the correct area, gave myself a good look, a pretty decent chip at it,” Korda said after her round Thursday.

It was this consistency that made Korda deadly during last year’s LPGA season, in which she had four wins, including her first major championship at the KPMG Women’s PGA at Atlanta Athletic Club and a gold medal at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. She also reached No. 1 in the world during her stellar stretch.

On March 11, Korda went to the ER for an ultrasound after experiencing a “funny feeling” in her arm. She ended up having surgery on a blood clot in a subclavian vein in her left arm and posted about the surgery April 8 on social media.

Full-field scores from the U.S. Women’s Open

Fans were thrilled just to watch Korda compete at this week’s U.S. Women’s Open. And after two months off from tournaments, Korda is exciting fans more by putting herself into weekend contention.

“Overall, I think all of it [golf game] came together really well, and hopefully I can continue building into the next couple of days,” said Korda, who sits at 3 under par and six shots behind early second-round leader Mina Harigae.