Kevin Kisner has explained what shocked him about watching Nelly Korda as the world number one went on to win the US Women’s Open at Riviera this past week.
Korda is now a four-time major champion after winning the US Women’s Open for the first time in her career on Sunday. The victory also means that the 27-year-old’s hopes of completing the calendar Grand Slam are still alive.
It was the smallest margin of victory from Korda’s four major wins. But that would not come as a surprise to anyone who watched the twists and turns on Sunday in the Pacific Palisades.
Kevin Kisner lauds Nelly Korda’s performance at the US Women’s Open
Gaby Lopez and Charley Hull were waiting around to see if they would end up in a playoff. Meanwhile, Sei Young Kim went down the 72nd hole with a chance to join them on seven under par.
However, Korda edged in front with a birdie on the 17th. And, while she needed all of the hole on the decisive putt, the American managed to make the par she required on the last to get across the line.
She was not at her best, with Korda even changing her grip during the tournament. But speaking on the Fore Play Podcast, Kevin Kisner insisted that he was amazed by how many times she stepped up and produced the shot that was called for.
“I didn’t get to watch her play early in the week, but I followed along through social media, saw the stuff where she said she had her B game and struggling, grip change, which is not easy. Probably the hardest thing to do. One of the last things I would ever tell a person to do in a tournament, but it’s Nelly Korda. It’s like telling Tiger, hey, if you move your left hand over one more knuckle, you’re probably going to stripe it. He would do it in the middle of a tournament. Obviously it worked because she started hitting it well,” he said.
“But I was shocked because I tuned in on 14 tee last night, the par three, and all I’ve been seeing is how she’s struggling with her ball striking all week, grip change, blah, blah, blah. She hits a seed right at the flag on 14. It came up short in the bunker and she’s got the sickest short game ever, I’ve watched that in person before, and hits that to two feet. And then literally does not miss a shot coming down the stretch.
“She stripes it off 15. Nobody was hitting that fairway. Hits a five iron into the wind, straight at the flag, 20 feet like you do in US Opens. Then goes to the sucker pit on 16 in the front, hits at the closest I saw of anybody in the last six groups. That putt should have gone in. That ball defied gravity. It breaks so hard right there at the end. I’ve hit that putt. And then hits two perfect shots on 17 to the side of the green you have to to have the entire green to get up and down, and then walks to 18 with the lead, and hits a beautiful tee ball and an iron shot into the middle of the green 20 feet, and then we all know what comes when you have to two putt. The whole horrors of the golf game happen. You could put her there with a 1000 golf balls and tell her she had to make it and she would never leave it three feet short. But now that we have to two putt, suddenly we leave it three feet short with the weight of the entire U.S. Women’s Open on the line.
“It’s just a fascinating thing that, you know, the person that we think of when we think of women’s golf and all I’ve read all week is she’s struggling and I watched her hit what, seven consecutive stripes? I mean, that shot on 16. I know it’s 131 yards, but it’s like hitting it down a bowling alley into that green. And if you miss the green, it’s impossible to get up and down. And she just hits this beautiful eight iron right at the flag and then stands up there and rips it on 17 when she knows this is her only birdie opportunity. So hats off to her. I was just so impressed, the best players in the world show up in the biggest situations and she did it.”
How Nelly Korda has recently performed at the final three majors of the year
The question will now be just how many majors Korda is going to end her season with. Korda has been backed to challenge for the calendar Grand Slam following her victory at Riviera.
But it is an understatement to say that winning the final three majors of the year is not going to be easy.
Korda has not had a top 10 at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship since her victory in 2021. Meanwhile, she finished outside the top 30 at both of the final two majors of 2025.
However, Korda’s 2025 was a strange one. There were nearly 30 different winners on the LPGA during the season and Korda was not one of them.
She has already won four times this season, including two majors. That is going to do her confidence and belief ahead of the rest of the year a world of good.
