Nelly Korda, the world’s No. 1-ranked golfer, suffered quite the shocking elimination from the T-Mobile Match Play Championship on Friday. Unfortunately she didn’t qualify for the weekend’s knockout stage. Korda, who entered the tournament aiming to defend her title, fell to Ariya Jutanugarn in a closely contested match that highlighted her struggles this season.
As much as we expected to see her name at the top of the leaderboards every week, Korda hasn’t found the win column in 2023. Her victory at last year’s Match Play crowned her as a brutal competitor. It was her fourth win in a row, a dizzying feat that hadn’t been accomplished in 16 years. This year, she met these challenges with new and unprecedented difficulties that ultimately prevented her from performing at her best.
In her semi-final match against Jutanugarn, Korda got off to a roaring start. Her grit under pressure was evident on the par-3 13th hole, where a deft short game after a mishit tee shot helped her take the solo lead. Many observers believed she was well on her way to joining an elite group of players with four consecutive wins.
The most dramatic scene played out on the par-3 15th hole. Korda was looking for a chip shot, hoping to duplicate the stunning play that Jeeno Thitikul pulled off to start the match. Unfortunately for Korda, her overaggressive try went five feet past the hole, and she then missed the return effort. This blunder gave Jutanugarn the break needed to steal back some momentum in a match that was razor-thin the entire way.
The loss for Korda leaves her still seeking her first win of the year. This reality is especially glaring given the impressive record she has built thus far. Korda looks ahead to her second match against Nataliya Guseva. Each player came through the same qualifying group as Rose Zhang and thus Korda must refocus and find her competitive spirit once again.
Guseva punched her ticket to the Round of 16 after beating Albane Valenzuela in a taut, clutch 1-up win. She secured the victory with a dramatic 55-foot birdie hole-out on 18 green. Reflecting on her success, Guseva remarked, “I knew that I needed some magic, and that’s when I holed that putt.”
Rose Zhang’s woes continued as she fell to Megan Khang after forfeiting against Valenzuela earlier on. This result only further complicated Korda’s path. Only two weeks prior, Zhang had run her winning streak to five at The Chevron Championship, matching the tour record.
Jeeno Thitikul put on a masterclass of ball control during the round-robin phase. She cruised through her matches, winning all three, highlighted by a commanding 5 and 3 win over Hye-Jin Choi. Thitikul expressed confidence in her performance, stating, “I don’t think it’s because of the top players not playing well, but I think because it’s not a matter of the ranking here.”
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