Nelly Korda says untimely Olympic shank hints at larger problem

Nelly Korda’s Olympic Dreams Dashed by Devastating Shank

World No. 1 Nelly Korda’s hopes of securing a medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics were cruelly dashed on the 15th hole at Le Golf National, where a devastating shank led to a double bogey and ultimately a disappointing finish.

Korda, who was seeking to build on her gold medal success at the Tokyo Olympics, had started the day five shots off the lead and was hoping to replicate the remarkable comeback of her compatriot Scottie Scheffler, who had charged from six shots back to claim the gold medal in the men’s competition just a week earlier.

However, Korda’s charge never materialized, and she struggled to find her rhythm throughout the round. Despite making a promising start with two birdies in her opening three holes, bogeys at Nos. 5 and 7 brought her back to even par. A birdie on the ninth hole saw her make the turn at one-under for the round, but her chances of securing a medal were severely dented by a brutal bogey-birdie-double-par-bogey stretch on Nos. 13-17.

The double bogey on the 15th hole was particularly devastating, and Korda was candid in her assessment of what went wrong. “I just shanked it,” she said. “I just hit it fat and hit it short and into the water.” The shank was not the only problem Korda faced during her final round, as she struggled to compile mistakes and make consistent progress.

Despite the disappointing finish, Korda was proud of her efforts and reflected on her achievements over the past three years. “I’m never going to stop trying and I’m always going to try my hardest and I’m never going to back down,” she said. “At the end of the day, I played some really solid golf for three years from Tokyo to get me back on to this team and to represent the United States, and to be at the Olympics again. I’m a two-time Olympian and I have a gold medal and I’m proud of that.”

Korda will now turn her attention to the final major of the year, the Women’s Open at the Old Course at St. Andrews, where she will seek to secure her 15th career LPGA victory and third major championship. The LPGA tour heads to Dundonald Links for the Scottish Open next week, providing Korda with an opportunity to fine-tune her game ahead of the season’s finale.