This year, the golf world’s headlines have been brimming with just one name: Nelly Korda. She has managed to take over the LPGA Tour by storm with her five consecutive event victories. Her latest win, where she defeated Maja Stark by 2 strokes at the Chevron Championship last week, also marked her second major victory! Even though all is bright and sunny now, Korda’s major journey has been filled with ups and downs.

Be it tying for 59th place with a score of 298 at the US Women’s Open in 2016 or missing the cut at the Champions Golf Club in 2020 with a 4-over-par total, the World No. 1 has had her fair share of lows at majors. And the first such low (mixed with highs, perhaps) came when she made her first major appearance back in 2013. Even today, Korda may still blush with embarrassment from that appearance!

Nelly Korda flies back in time to the US Women’s Open 2013

Nelly Korda made both her big game and major debut in golf at the US Women’s Open 11 years ago, when she was just 14 years old. Despite finishing in a forgettable T64th with a score of 22-over, 310, she had a win by making the cut despite her age and inexperience. Moreover, the now-25-year-old had even scored a birdie on the 16th hole back then!

But even though Korda saw some magical moments then, it was all overshadowed by one thing—her swing! The video that showcased her birdie also drew attention to the LPGA star’s drive, which is nowhere close to how she swings now. And embarrassed by how bad it looked, she even reshared the post on her Instagram story and wrote, “Thank God my swing doesn’t look like that anymore.”

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Korda believes her swing was far from perfect and possibly even injury-prone. And letting her fans know that she was very aware of that, she even commented on the post and wrote, “I mean… that swing is just so bad 😂 my back thanks me for improving it.”

On the second slide of the Instagram post (where she was driving off the tee for her 16th hole birdie), the commentators even compared her swing to that of her sister Jessica Korda, who had by then competed at five US Women’s Opens already. Both were then being taught by the star coach, Magnus Carlson!

Her dream “of winning Major Championships” began there, at the US Women’s Open in Sebonack, and she has since won two. It’s quite clear that Nelly Korda has indeed come a long way. And with 34 major appearances since 2013, she’s never once failed to mesmerize her followers with her exceptional gameplay. And in 2022, at the US Women’s Open, she absolutely stole their hearts despite not being able to grab a win!

Korda’s 2022 stunner went from recovering to a glorious end

Two years ago, Nelly Korda suffered a left-arm injury. During a photo shoot at Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, in March, her arm started to swell after her morning workout. She rushed to the emergency room, where a blood clot diagnosis forced her to undergo surgery. The World No. 1 was then out for weeks afterwards, recovering.

However, that setback was not enough to stop Korda from trying out her luck to grab the win at the US Women’s Open. And that was the year; despite her injury, she did not just appear on the greens but also secured herself a position in the top-10, tying for the eighth position! She had only one over-par round (on Sunday) and ended up even 4 under par in total!

The incident stands testament to how dedicated and determined Nelly Korda is, especially when it comes to majors, and how important these events are for her! Perhaps another few wins at them lie in wait for her?