U.S. Women’s Open: Nelly Korda makes a jaw-dropping 10 early on

Nelly Korda did not off to a great start at the U.S. Women’s Open, bogeying the first hole—the tough par-4 10th.

She then steadied herself somewhat with a par on the difficult par-4 11th, as she completed the most challenging stretch Lancaster Country Club has to offer.

But she had no idea what would hit her on the downhill, scenic par-3 12th, which measures 161 yards.

The tee shot plays 20 yards downhill, greatly exposing the hole to the winds. Therefore, judging the distance—and selecting the right club—on this hole is a challenge.

The green slopes severely from back to front, and a creek meanders across the front of the putting surface.

“The par-3 over the water, from the tee box, you can’t see how sloped of a green that is, but then once you get onto that green, you’re like, oh, my gosh, you’re coming in with a 6-iron,” Korda said of the 12th on Tuesday.

Photo by Logan Whitton/USGA

“If you’re long, in a sense, you’re kind of screwed. If you’re short, you’re screwed too.”

Well, Korda did herself no favors in putting her tee shot in the back bunker on Thursday, leaving herself in a precarious position. With the pin on the front portion of the green, she had to play her second shot gently.

But Korda got too aggressive. Her bunker shot trickled down the slope, finally coming to rest in the creek.

She then had to go back across the bridge and play her fourth shot from the fairway on the other side. But that is when disaster truly struck.

Korda tried to bump and run her chip into the slope, but she did not put enough on it. That, too, found the water.

The top-ranked player in the world then made the same mistake twice, shockingly putting her sixth shot into the stream. An enormous number loomed, and her chances of winning back-to-back majors had completely washed away.

She then placed her eighth shot above the hole, failed to make the putt coming back down the hill, and tapped in for a 10, a jaw-dropping score that would leave an amateur depressed. Her early-round blunder immediately evoked memories of Jordan Spieth’s meltdown on the 12th hole at Augusta National in 2016.

Korda walked off looking rattled, and rightfully so. Just like that, she began her U.S. Women’s Open at 8-over through three holes, making things rather difficult for her the rest of the way.

Now, she has a serious uphill climb just to make the cut, let alone win the golf tournament.

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.