Nelly Korda shot a three-under-par, 68, to boost her Solheim Cup selection chances after round one of the morning wave of players at the Marathon Classic Presented by Owens Corning and O-I.
Juli Inkster dropped a few clues at today’s Solheim Cup Media Conference that Nelly could join her sister Jessica – who is comfortably automatically qualifying – in Des Moines.
Inkster said: “Nelly Korda has been consistently playing well. If you look at her scores, she shoots good scores all the time. She never shoots a real high score. I mean, she'll do like a 71, 72, 73, but she never shoots a 75 or a 76. She shoots a lot of good, low scores.
“I like her make-up. I like her fire. She's definitely wired different than Jessica, even though they look similar. You know, Jessica is a little more carefree, outgoing, easy, and Nelly is a little more reserved, a little more inner heat.
“I invited her to all the dinners and practice rounds. She's fit in nicely with the team, so yeah, she's definitely one I'm looking at.”
Nelly finds herself just one shot off the current leaders and has given Team USA captain Inkster even more to think about in terms of wildcard picks.
The 2017 LPGA Rookie doesn’t look like she will qualify automatically and will more than likely require a wildcard pick, as she is currently 31st in the points standings and 87th in the Rolex World Rankings.
Speaking at a press conference after her opening round 68 at the Marathon Classic, Korda said: “I mean, it would be a huge honor to represent my country, and it's definitely a goal of mine one day. But I'm just -- I just want to play solid golf, and everything else will solve itself.”
Korda picked up four birdies and a bogey in her first round, but it could have been a lot better had the putter been hot.
“My putter hasn't really been working that well today, and to finish on the one birdie putt is really a boost in confidence. Anything under par is good. I mean, it's just the first day, so there's still a lot more golf to be played.
“It's good to have someone like my caddie alongside me just to tell me to stay patient, like they'll fall. I hit a really good chip shot on 18, which was my ninth hole, that kind of started my day there.”
Both Solheim Cup team selections will be made after the RICOH Women’s British Open, but will Nelly have done enough to partner her older sister and make her first Solheim Cup appearance?
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