LPGA star Nelly Korda back in contention at AIG Women’s Open

The World No. 1 is back in the mix at St. Andrews.

Nelly Korda fired a 4-under 68 on day one to soar up the leaderboard and into contention at the AIG Women’s Open, the season’s final major. She is one stroke behind playing partner Charley Hull, who leads by herself after shooting a 5-under 67.

“It was good,” Korda assessed.

“It was windy, but especially at the start to the middle. But in the last three or four holes, it died down and was able to be a little bit more aggressive. But overall, I think our group had a very good day.”

Forty-mile-per-hour gusts blanketed St. Andrews, leading some players to have anxiety and pounding heads. Yet, as Korda explained, those winds began to subside towards the end of her round when she made three birdies over her final five holes.

“You can’t win a tournament on day one, but you can definitely lose it,” Korda said.

“So I’ve put myself into a good position, and hopefully, I can keep trending in the right direction.”

Nobody knows that mantra better than Korda. She made a jaw-dropping 10 on the 12th hole at Lancaster Country Club during the first round of the U.S. Women’s Open in May. After winning six of seven events, Korda went on to miss the cut that week, a harbinger of things to come. A pair of missed cuts followed, and then she tied for 26th at the Amundi Evian Championship, her most recent LPGA start. Korda then tied for 22nd at the Olympics in Paris.

But now Korda has returned to the front page of the leaderboard, where she made a nice living earlier in the year. She also has a critical stat working in her favor.

Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images

According to golf statistician Justin Ray, Korda has opened a tournament with a 68 or better three other times this season. In each of those instances, Korda won the LPGA Drive On Championship, the Ford Championship, and the Chevron Championship. Perhaps another victory is in store for her this week, then.

Nevertheless, Korda, one of the fastest players in the world in terms of pace of play, had to endure a nearly six-hour round on Thursday. The winds forced players to ponder and back off shot after shot, leaving some groups to wait on tee boxes for as long as 30 minutes. The glacial pace of play usually affects Korda, but the best player in the world persevered through it all, remaining patient in the moment and capitalizing on opportunities down the stretch.

“I already know going into the round that the weather is not going to be good, and it was going to be slow out here. I already prepped myself going into it,” Korda explained.

“There are some days when you’re playing well and, obviously, it’s flowing a little better, and when you’re playing bad, you get a little bit more frustrated. But today I just tried to stay really present and to have a good attitude with the weather that we had.”

Korda had every right to have a good attitude, considering everyone in her group conquered the conditions. Along with Hull strong’s performance, reigning champion Lilia Vu turned in a stellar showing of her own, carding a 3-under 69.

So, if Korda can maintain this mindset, she will no doubt be part of the story at St. Andrews on Sunday and perhaps make history at one of the most historic places on the planet.

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.