Nelly Korda missed. Again. And on Golf Channel, analyst Kay Cockerill laughed, in a shrug-your-shoulders, keep-the-golf-bag-in-the-closet kinda way.
Said Cockerill: “Ohhhh noooo.”
Said announcer Grant Boone: “How many edges today, Kay? That’s at least five.”
Said Cockerill: “Well, how many edges, how many crazy bounces — I mean, it’s just like the golfing gods are stacked and ganging up against her. I don’t know why.”
It was — something. On Friday at Sahalee Country Club, during the second round of the Women’s PGA, Korda:
— Bogeyed her first four holes
— Bogeyed the par-5 sixth hole after hitting her second shot 85 feet and her third shot 103 yards
— Shot a six-over 42 on the front nine
— Hit out of bounds with her second shot on the par-4 15th and double-bogeyed
— Shot three-over 39 on the back nine
— Three-putted twice (holes 2 and 4) and missed putts inside 10 feet four times (holes 2, 4, 5 and 11)
— Hit eight of 14 fairways and eight of 18 greens
Added all together, Korda shot a nine-over 81, her worst score as a professional, according to Golf Channel. It dropped her a whopping 72 spots on the leaderboard — she’d started the day in a tie for a second after an impressive opening-round 69, and she finished tied for 74th.
But to make the cut, she needed to finish a stroke better — though she did birdie her final hole. The world No. 1 will miss weekend play — and it continues an unsettling trend. After winning the Chevron Championship earlier this year for her second major title, she’s now missed three straight cuts, which, according to golf-stats guru Justin Ray, is a career first for her.
Afterward, Korda did not have a press conference, but she told Golfweek’s Beth Ann Nichols this:
“It’s just golf recently for me. No words for how I’m playing right now. … A lot went my way at the beginning part of the year and just giving it back.”
Unquestionably, Korda leads a list of surprising players to miss the cut. Here are five more:
— Megan Khang
What she shot: 81, 76
Surprising because: The world No. 16 finished runner-up in her last event. But a first-round 81 sunk her.
— Alison Lee
What she shot: 81, 78
Surprising because: The world No. 18 was playing better than anyone at the end of last year. But she also shot a first-round 81.
— Nasa Hataoka
What she shot: 77, 74
Surprising because: She’s missed just two cuts this year — and been DQ’d once — and she missed one cut last year. But eight bogeys and two double bogeys were too much to overcome.
— Jiyai Shin
What she shot: 75, 78
Surprising because: She’s a two-time major winner. But she made no birdies in the second round.
— Carlota Ciganda
What she shot: 78, 75
Surprising because: The Solheim Cup star made just three birdies over two rounds.
