Nelly Korda finds herself to be the No.1 in the world again. She put on a dominant display at Memorial Park, as she won the third major of her career on April 26. Talking of her focus, Fried Egg Golf’s Director of Content, Kevin Van Valkenburg, had a few words to share.

The Olympic champion was ahead in all four rounds, finishing with a five-shot lead over China's Yin Ruoning and Thailand's Patty Tavatanakit. It was the biggest margin of victory at the Chevron in 18 years.

"I watched a lot of the Chevron, and I think my biggest takeaway was just how steely-eyed and focused Nelly was this week," said Valkenburg.

Korda joined Juli Inkster and Amy Alcott as the only players in the last 50 years to win this LPGA major while leading by multiple shots after each round. On the 16th hole of the opening round, Korda took the lead after hitting a five-iron to five feet for a birdie and never trailed since. 

"Obviously, you need to be super focused to win a major championship, but it felt like she was working on another level, perhaps unlocking a dominance we haven’t seen before," Valkenburg added.

A clutch 7-foot par putt helped Korda sign for a 2-under 70, earning her a third major title and a return to No. 1 in the world rankings for the first time since August.

“But she’s also let a couple slip away with some mental lapses, particularly with her putter. That may be a narrative of the past. Even on Saturday when Korda didn’t have a great feel with her putter." Valkenburg added.

Valkenburg explained that even though Korda was not being accurate in her putting game, she did not let that affect her mentally. Instead, she hit "beautiful drives" and "towering iron shots" to keep her lead intact.

Korda became the first American to win a third major since Meg Mallon in 2000. The victory was her 17th on the LPGA and 21st worldwide.

How Nelly Korda Addressed The Putting Issues

After struggling with putting on the biggest stages, Korda decided to shift things up.

Korda met Scottie Scheffler and Matt Fitzpatrick’s putting coach, Phil Kenyon. Ever since then, Korda has stuck with conventional putting, as advised by the experienced coach.

Kenyon recommended David Angeloti to Korda, and now, the two of them work together, as seen at Memorial Park.

“He’s finally someone who’s giving my putting practice a sense of structure. Everything I do is very structured with him.” Korda said.

In Houston this week, Angelotti worked with Korda as they waited out the rain on Tuesday to get comfortable on the wet greens. Through two rounds, Korda’s putting has been outstanding, with just two short misses on Friday.

What do you think of Korda’s newfound attitude? Let us know in the comments.

Read more at Club Golf.

Written by

Avishek Sarkar

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar