US golfer Nelly Korda standing on the brink of Olympics history

United States golfer Nelly Korda is on the brink of creating history as she is battling out in the final round of the women’s individual stroke play in the Tokyo Olympics on Saturday.

On Thursday, Korda, through her ball-striking masterpiece, raced to the top of the pile with her second-round 62.

On Friday, it was a much different day for Korda as she faced a lot of competition from world no. 200 Aditi Ashok. But she further cemented her position at number one with a third-round 69, then ahead by three shots of India’s Ashok. 

“My fight,” the 23-year-old said with a gleaming smile, when asked what she was most proud of on Day 3. “I didn’t have a really good back nine, I was kind of spraying it all over the place, I had some testy par putts, but made all pars and I fought really hard to stay in it.”

It’s those key putts that have made the difference this year for the world No. 1, who was rated 71st on the LPGA last year but is now 19th with a roughly one-shot improvement each round this season.

At the US Women’s Open, Korda switched to a left-hand-low putting grip in June and she said it’s made a huge difference on the greens.

“I feel way more confident over it,” Korda said. “I know that my chest and my arms move more together and I just feel like there’s less room for mistakes for me with left hand low.”

Currently, Korda is tied in the first spot with Ashok and New Zealand’s Lydia Ko after the eighth hole. Her Saturday morning hasn’t been the brightest, as she suffered a few slipups in the early holes. 

Earlier, in round 3, Ashok carded a three-under 68 to end in the second position.

Born to former Czech professional tennis players Petr Korda and Regina Rajchrtova, Nelly has a younger brother, Sebastian, who won the 2018 Australian Open tennis title in the boys’ division.  

Meanwhile, her sister Jessica Korda, 28, who plays on the LPGA Tour, is also representing the US in the Tokyo Olympics.