Nelly Korda took a 10 on her third hole of the U.S. Women’s Open today when she hit three short-game shots into the stream in front of the par-3 12th green.
It was a devastating start for the No. 1 player in women’s golf at Lancaster Country Club, a course that already was playing difficult enough that birdies were hard to find.
Korda walked off the green and removed her visor, placing her hand over her forehead for a few seconds before walking over to the next tee. A video crew kept the camera fixed on the walking scorer as “+1″ was changed to a “+8″ next to her name. Korda finished carded a 10-over 80, the same score as New Zealand’s Lydia Ko who had an eight on her card with a triple bogey at the par five seventh. Midway through the opening round, only three players were under the card, all at one-under.
The 12th hole — Korda started her round on No. 10 — had the markings of a problem. It measures 161 yards down the hill to a green that slopes from back to front and has a stream in front of it. The pin was at the front, where the green pitches more severely toward the water.
When Korda’s group reached the hole, there were two other groups on the tee waiting to play.