As Nelly Korda spoke with the media ahead of the third major of the LPGA season, it was hard not to miss the black kinesiology tape on the back of her neck. Naturally, the question arose: is everything OK with the world No.1 heading into this week’s KPMG Women’s PGA Championship?
Turns out Korda sustained neck spasms after hitting out of the rough on the front nine at Fields Ranch East at PGA Frisco during Monday’s practice round. “It’s getting better,” Korda said, “but yeah, it was not very good [on Monday].”
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Korda dealt with a neck injury late last year that forced her to miss a couple of months of golf.
Asked if this week’s injury is affecting her swing, Korda said: “A little, yeah. Obviously with the injury that I had last year, every single time something kind of flares up in my neck now, I think I feel it a little bit more than what I used to. But I have a great physio who takes care of me. Trying to work through it, but I’ll be ready by Thursday.”
Korda played in the pro-am on Tuesday, but missed the champions dinner on Monday night in which defending champion Amy Yang curated the menu. Korda instead was having treatment done on her neck.
“I messaged Amy. The menu looked unbelievable,” Korda said. “I love Korean food. So, I was really jealous. At the end of the day, I need to prioritise my body. So I wasn’t able to go, but I missed out on a good dinner.”
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Korda just missed out on winning the US Women’s Open at Erin Hills Golf Course three weeks ago. She finished tied for second, two shots behind winner Maja Stark. Korda is still looking for her first win of the season after winning seven times last year.
A bright spot in her day was that a little girl gave her a new Lego set on Tuesday as she has a well-known hobby of putting together Lego sets.
“It was so cute,” Korda said. “I’m getting them every week now. I love it. It’s saving me money.”
