​World No. 1 Nelly Korda got off to a rocky start at the Amundi Evian Championship, threatening her bid for a career Grand Slam and a spot in the LPGA Hall of Fame. She opened with a three-over 74 at the Evian Resort Golf Club in France and faces a real risk of missing the cut. The 27-year-old trails Japanese standout Aki Iwai by 11 shots after Iwai blistered the course with an eight-under 63 in Evian-les-Bains on Thursday.
Korda has already claimed the first two majors of the year, winning the Chevron Championship and the U.S. Women’s Open. Yet her pursuit of a third consecutive major title in 2024—an unprecedented feat—lost momentum at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, where she finished tied for eighth. Through the season, she has secured four tournament victories and logged nine top-10 finishes, showcasing some of the best golf of her career. Still, that streak appears in peril, and absent a dramatic Friday, this could become her first missed cut of the season.
After her round, Korda declined to discuss it with a tour representative. While she hasn’t openly stated a dislike for the Evian course, her pre-tournament remarks hinted at a mental battle with the track. “I don’t know. It’s Evian. That’s all I’m going to say,” she said earlier this week. “I’ve hit some really good shots and ended up in some really bad places and hit some bad places and ended up in good places. What I’ve learned every year is that patience is key out here. I’m still figuring it out. Like it’s Year 10. Every year I learn something new about this place. So, yeah, it’s just Evian.”
Even if the course isn’t to her liking, Iwai feels at ease on it, drawing a contrast in style. “I like the course. It’s kind of like Japanese courses,” Iwai said.
Korda has never won either of the major championships abroad. With the LPGA off next week, the tour will then head to the ISPS HANDA Women’s Scottish Open and the AIG Women’s British Open, making it three majors in six weeks. When asked about managing that heavy schedule earlier this week, Korda highlighted the need for balance. “Trying to prioritize sleep and rest. It’s a lot, definitely. The scheduling of three majors in a short amount of time is definitely a lot mentally, physically, and with it being that a week and a half ago we were in Minnesota and then this week we’re in France, and then kind of traveling all over, it can get to be a lot,” she noted. “Making sure that you’re prioritizing your body, your rest, and not overdoing it. Just when you kind of think you need to go to the gym maybe or wanting to rest, I think that at this point in the season sometimes resting is actually more beneficial.”
As Round 2 looms, Korda faces the possibility of an early exit and the impending question of how she will rebound with a demanding stretch of majors on the horizon. If her game doesn’t tighten up quickly, she could see her championship aspirations stall at Evian, delaying what would be a historic sequence and leaving her to chase breakthroughs at the next events.