The 2025 U.S. Women’s Open is the 10th event Nelly Korda is playing since her last win. The #1 captured the 2024 ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican back on November 16. It wasn’t just a title win. Korda had broken a record, becoming the first since Yani Tseng in 2011 to win seven times in a single season on the LPGA Tour. It was the first time an American had done it since 1990. Since then, however, she has failed to find success on the LPGA Tour. Korda has come a long way from winning 5 titles in a row to not being able to claim victory. Nevertheless, considering the action at Erin Hills Golf Course, it finally seems like the 26-year-old might be able to break the streak.

Speaking of her chances at winning the title, Korda was asked, “How much pride do you take in your ability to bounce back?” The 2024 Rolex Player of the Year jumped up 32 spots from a par finish in the first 18 holes to T2 in the second round. Answering the reporter, she said, “Yeah, I think my mental strength and having people in my corner has something that I do pride myself in. Some weeks are definitely harder than others. But I hate bogeying. I hate not playing well. Sometimes that can get me in the gutter, and sometimes that gets me out of it quickly. But I always kind of look at what’s next and where I can improve.”

While she likes the fact that she can rise to the top very quickly, unforced errors are her worst enemy as they get in her head and affect her gameplay. While most rub it off after a few holes, Korda seems to let that drive her. And that was the topic of discussion in the latest episode of the No Laying Up podcast on YouTube featuring the Chief Fun Officer, Randy, Cody Sarge, and Jordan Perez. They were already discussing Nelly Korda’s drought in 2025.

Speaking about the situation, Sarge mentioned, “This feels very similar going into Sunday at St. Andrews.” Nelly Korda was in line to win the 2024 AIG Women’s Open, but a last-round fumble saw her gift the title to Lydia Ko by 2 strokes. That’s when Randy stated, “She led the field today in driving distance. For the week, she’s second in strokes gained off the tee, +1.8. She’s seventh in strokes gained on approach. She’s hitting the ball great. She’s hit 37 of 42 fairways. She’s hit 42 of 54 greens, which is tied for 3rd.” 

It seems like Korda has a lot going on for her at Erin Hills. She is finding the fairway 88% of the time and has a green in regulation average of 77.77%. In fact, her stats are far better than fellow world no. 1, Scottie Scheffler, who is leading the 2025 Memorial Tournament field with a 54.76% driving accuracy and 72.22% greens in regulation.

However, the one area that she’s lacking is in the green, as the CFO mentioned, “It is the putter. She’s losing shots with the putter. Today, she lost nearly two strokes. You’re right, Jordan. She’s making it a conversation again, and it will be a shame if she hits the ball as well as she has this week and is simply let down by the putter. It’s gonna feel like another missed opportunity.”

While Korda is performing excellently outside the green, her stats with the putter are proving to be her downfall in Wisconsin. He has hit 96 strokes with the putter in just 54 holes. The last time she won a title, she had only hit 86 putts in the first 3 rounds. The stark difference in the number of strokes taken for her to sink the ball might be the difference maker in her winning the 2025 U.S. Women’s Open and dropping further down the table. Hopefully, she learned from her mistakes in the 2024 AIG Women’s Open and knows how she can avoid repeating her mistakes.

Having said that, how are Nelly Korda’s competitors for the 2025 U.S. Open playing in the tournament so far? Let’s find out.

Nelly Korda is facing tough competition at Erin Hills

Despite a disappointing round, Nelly Korda is still the world’s best golfer. So she’s expected to turn things around and grab a win at Erin Hills Golf Club this weekend. However, the likes of Maja Stark and Julia Lopez Ramirez present a very tough challenge for her to overcome.

Stark has 76.19% driving accuracy and found the greens in regulation 75.92% of the time. While her stats off the green might not be as impressive, it’s worth mentioning that the Swede has made putts off just 89 strokes. That’s 7 strokes fewer than Korda. This explains the 3 stroke difference between them.

Ramirez, who received her LPGA Tour card this year, has been far less accurate on the fairway. She has a short grass accuracy of 59.52% and has managed to land in the greens within regulation strokes as often as Stark. However, she too has used the putter fewer times at just 92. This has contributed to the 2 stroke deficit between her and Korda. So, going into the final 18 of the 2025 U.S. Open, Nelly Korda’s only goal should be to improve her putting, as she’s doing extremely well in all other parts of the course.