Tag: 2022 U.S. Women’s Open

2022 U.S. Women’s Open prize money payouts for each player

The 77th U.S. Women’s Open featured a $10 million purse.

A year ago, 19-year-old Yuka Saso earned $1 million for winning the U.S. Women’s Open at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco.

In 2022, thanks a big boost in the total purse, Mina Harigae pocketed $1,080,000.

For finishing second.

Minjee Lee won the 77th U.S. Women’s Open to claim the big prize, banking $1.8 million for winning at Pine Needles Golf & Country Club in Southern Pines, North Carolina.

In January, the U.S. Golf Association announced an increase in the tournament’s purse to $10 million and with presenting sponsor ProMedica on board, the plans are to keep going, with the goal of a $12 million purse coming in the near future.

By comparison, Jennifer Kupcho earned $750,000 for winning the first LPGA major of 2022, the Chevron Championship.

Take a look at the complete money list from the 2022 U.S. Women’s Open.

Finish Player Score Earnings
1 Minjee Lee -13 $1,800,000
2 Mina Harigae -9 $1,080,000
3 Hye-Jin Choi -7 $685,040
4 Jin Young Ko -6 $480,230
5 Lydia Ko -5 $399,980
T6 Anna Nordqvist -4 $337,200
T6 Bronte Law -4 $337,200
T8 Nelly Korda -2 $261,193
T8 Leona Maguire -2 $261,193
T8 Megan Khang -2 $261,193
T11 Moriya Jutanugarn -1 $209,060
T11 Xiyu Lin -1 $209,060
T11 Ingrid Lindblad (a) -1 $0
14 Sei Young Kim E $187,170
T15 Cheyenne Knight +2 $151,730
T15 In Gee Chun +2 $151,730
T15 Brooke M. Henderson +2 $151,730
T15 Andrea Lee +2 $151,730
T15 Eun-Hee Ji +2 $151,730
T20 Pajaree Anannarukarn +3 $113,850
T20 Sakura Koiwai +3 $113,850
T20 Charley Hull +3 $113,850
T20 Lexi Thompson +3 $113,850
T24 Frida Kinhult +4 $87,248
T24 Ally Ewing +4 $87,248
T24 Atthaya Thitikul +4 $87,248
T24 Allisen Corpuz +4 $87,248
T28 Jeongeun Lee6 +5 $67,902
T28 Ryann O’Toole +5 $67,902
T28 Carlota Ciganda +5 $67,902
T28 Nasa Hataoka +5 $67,902
T28 Sung Hyun Park +5 $67,902
T28 Hannah Green +5 $67,902
T34 A Lim Kim +6 $51,042
T34 Celine Boutier +6 $51,042
T34 Lizette Salas +6 $51,042
T34 Georgia Hall +6 $51,042
T34 Marissa Steen +6 $51,042
T34 Lilia Vu +6 $51,042
T40 Jennifer Kupcho +7 $41,410
T40 Rose Zhang (a) +7 $0
T40 Alison Lee +7 $41,410
T40 Amanda Doherty +7 $41,410
T44 Brittany Altomare +8 $34,200
T44 Pia Babnik +8 $34,200
T44 Mao Saigo +8 $34,200
T44 Somi Lee +8 $34,200
T48 Saki Baba (a) +9 $0
T48 Bailey Shoemaker (a) +9 $0
T50 Marina Alex +10 $24,748
T50 Linnea Johansson +10 $24,748
T50 Matilda Castren +10 $24,748
T50 Lauren Hartlage +10 $24,748
T50 Caroline Masson +10 $24,748
T50 Isi Gabsa +10 $24,748
T50 Angel Yin +10 $24,748
T50 In Kyung Kim +10 $24,748
T58 Yealimi Noh +11 $21,735
T58 Na Rin An +11 $21,735
T60 Sofia Garcia +12 $21,220
T60 Allison Emrey +12 $21,220
T60 Amy Olson +12 $21,220
T63 Tiffany Chan +13 $20,500
T63 Grace Kim +13 $20,500
T63 Danielle Kang +13 $20,500
T63 Jessica Korda +13 $20,500
67 Annie Park +14 $19,980
68 Bianca Pagdanganan +15 $19,780
69 Yuna Takagi +19 $19,570
70 Maude-Aimee Leblanc +21 $19,370

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Photos: At 77th U.S. Women’s Open, Michelle Wie West says goodbye … for now

Wie West teared up as she came up the 18th, knowing it would be one of her last times taking such a walk.

SOUTHERN PINES, North Carolina – Michelle Wie West tried her hand at Wordle for the first time on Friday morning and guessed the word on her second attempt.

“I thought I was pretty undefeatable today,” she said, laughing, “and then it was a gradual decline after that.”

The word?

P-H-A-S-E.

How appropriate given that the second round of the 77th U.S. Women’s Open at Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club marks the end of a chapter for the one-time prodigy. The 32-year-old wife, mom and businesswoman heads into the next phase of life after this week. She’s not calling it a retirement, but Wie West doesn’t plan to compete again until the Women’s Open goes to Pebble Beach Golf Links for the first time in 2022.

After all, it’s only fitting that one of the most influential players of the modern game caps her career on an iconic course during an already historic week. What a celebration it will be.

In a way, Friday felt more like a see-you-later than a goodbye as it’s technically not her final event. Plus, Wie West plans to stay involved in women’s golf, maintaining relationships with her sponsors and investing in new ways to amplify the game.

When she visited the Golf Channel Live From set on Wednesday, one couldn’t help but think she’d be back in the game with a headset on sometime in the not-so-distant future. She enjoys the role.

Wie West teared up as she came up the 18th on Friday, knowing it would be one of her last times taking such a walk. Fans packed the grandstands and the Bell Pavilion, and jammed up against the ropes to catch one last look at the most recognized player on the LPGA, at least here in the U.S.

“Definitely had flashbacks of Pinehurst and just seeing all the same people,” she said. “When they come up to me, ‘Oh, I was there in 2014.’ It was just really cool to see everyone here again.”

Wie West shot 73-74 to finish at 5 over for the tournament, and said she felt rustier on Friday than she did in the first round. She tried to make a “hero putt” on the final hole.

“I gave it my all today,” she said.

A five-time winner on the LPGA, including the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open at Pinehurst No. 2, Wie West became a household name due to her many PGA Tour appearances and quest to compete in men’s majors. For years, she was a headline magnet, and there’s no shortage of opinion the road she took and how much she succeeded.

“First off, I want to say I have zero regrets in my career,” said Wie West earlier in the week. “There’s always that inkling of wishing I had done more. But I feel like no matter what, no one is ever going to be 100 percent satisfied.”

Wie West said her husband, Jonnie, plans to caddie for her at Pebble Beach next year. But she isn’t thinking that far ahead just yet. She’ll put the clubs away when she gets back home to her daughter Makenna, who turns 2 years old on June 19. There’s a new puppy to chase after and projects she’s eager to dive into, but not eager to share just yet.

“I have definitely had an up-and-down career,” said Wie West, “but I’m extremely proud of the resiliency that I’ve shown over my career. I’m extremely proud to have achieved the two biggest dreams that I’ve had, one being graduating from Stanford, and the other winning the U.S. Open. To check both those off the list means everything to me.”

Here’s a look at Wie West’s final event of 2022 (and what she insists is her penultimate tour appearance):

 

 

U.S. Women’s Open: American star Danielle Kang still searching for answers after doctors found a tumor on her spine

Kang, 29, said she has gone through a number of procedures with specialists, and it’s a process of elimination.

SOUTHERN PINES, North Carolina – For the past two months, Danielle Kang has done everything she can to get to the 77th U.S. Women’s Open. It was her only goal.

But in the grand scheme, her battle to make the cut at Pine Needles pales in comparison to a bigger battle. Kang, who has endured back pain for some time now, has a tumor on her spine.

When asked if the tumor was benign, Kang told a small group of reporters, “I really don’t have the answers now.”

Kang, 29, said she has gone through a number of procedures with specialists, and it’s a process of elimination. She was told she wouldn’t be able to compete in last week’s match-play event or this week’s major, but she proved otherwise.

Kang said she found out that she had a tumor when she returned from the LPGA tournament at Palos Verdes in late April, which she withdrew from after the first round.

“Right now, it’s not as simple as blaming the tumor to be the problem,” Kang said. “It’s not just that I have an issue with my back, there is more to it. The scary part is that, I understand, and I didn’t want to publicize it, but I know it got out. There’s more to it. I just don’t want to really discuss the details of what’s going on in my back.”

U.S. Women’s Open: Live updates from the Fayetteville Observer | How to watch

Danielle Kang hits a tee shot on the 17th hole during the second round at the 2022 U.S. Women’s Open Presented by ProMedica at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club in Southern Pines, N.C. on Friday, June 3, 2022. (Darren Carroll/USGA)

Kang carded a 3-over 74 in the second round with a triple-bogey on the first hole. She’s currently 3 over for the tournament, in a share of 67th. The top 60 and ties make the cut.

“I’m not feeling fantastic but I’m playing golf, which is good,” she said when asked if she was playing in pain. “I’m good enough to kind of play. All I wanted to do was compete. I feel like I can, just got a little unlucky out there today, made a crazy triple. Other than that, I actually played really solid.”

As for her future plans, the six-time tour winner said she has already withdrawn from the next two events.

“It could be a week, it could be months,” she said, “I don’t have the answer.”

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How did Annika Sorenstam’s son, ‘Ace’ McGee, celebrate his hole-in-one at Pinehurst? More golf

Golf great Annika Sorenstam has been upstaged to a certain degree by her 11-year-old son, Will.

SOUTHERN PINES — Like mother, like son.

Golf great Annika Sorenstam, who is making memories this week with her return to the US Women’s Open Championship after a 14-year absence at the Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club, has been upstaged to a certain degree by her 11-year-old son, Will.

Will McGee made headlines Wednesday when he aced the fifth hole at the nearby Pinehurst Resort’s par-3 course, The Cradle. McGee finished the round with a score of 24.

Sorenstam took a moment in her post-first-round interview to brag on her son.

“Yeah, he made it from 50 yards and it was so neat,” Sorenstam said. “I mean, we called him ‘Ace’ last night. That was his nickname, and every time we said, Ace, he lit up. He called his buddies. He has a friend in Nevada, Mason, and Mason is a good player. Mason hasn’t had a hole-in-one I’ve just found out.”

U.S. Women’s Open: Live updates from the Fayetteville Observer

Pinehurst Resort senior media relations manager Alex Podlogar came up with the idea for a special present to help Will commemorate the shot. On Thursday, the USGA director of player services, Jenny Pritchard, presented the pin flag from The Cradle’s fifth hole that he aced as well as an engraved Cradle bag tag with the date, his name and hole number on it to Will’s father, Mike McGee, who passed the gifts along to Will.

Apparently, Sorenstam’s family, including daughter Ava and husband McGee, enjoyed playing The Cradle so much that they returned Friday morning for another round. Sorenstam, who was scheduled to tee off in the second round of the U.S. Women’s Open on Friday afternoon, also took a few shots at The Cradle as captured in photos posted on her husband’s Twitter account, @MikeMcGeeAnnika.

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Here’s why the college star in contention at the U.S. Women’s Open (and No. 2 amateur in the world) can’t cash in big

Why doesn’t Ingrid Lindblad have any NIL deals while Rose Zhang and Rachel Heck do?

SOUTHERN PINES, North Carolina – Rose Zhang might be the No. 1 amateur in the world, but she looks the part of a full-fledged pro this week in ways beyond her talent. Zhang’s impressive collection of logos through NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) deals rivals those sponsorships of players who already have tour cards. Just this week, Zhang became the first student-athlete to ink an NIL deal with Adidas.

Like Zhang, Stanford’s Rachel Heck also boasts an impressive portfolio of partners and deals that are believed to be more than six figures annually.

Meanwhile, Ingrid Lindblad, the No. 2 amateur in the world who trails by one at the 77th U.S. Women’s Open, doesn’t have any NIL deals. Lindblad wore a Swedish national team polo and didn’t wear a hat on Thursday in her opening 6-under 65, the lowest round by an amateur in the history of the championship.

International student-athletes are restricted when it comes to NIL deals based on their student visas. As the rules now stand, LSU coach Garrett Runion said Lindblad isn’t allowed to earn money through NIL, though the school is doing everything they can to try to open up that possibility. International students risk losing their immigration status by taking NIL money.

Lindblad, a nine-time winner at LSU, will get plenty of air-time in Friday’s television window, not only because she’s in contention at a major, but because she’s also playing alongside the greatest player in the modern era, Annika Sorenstam, who at 51 is trying to make the cut in her first LPGA major start in 14 years.

U.S. Women’s Open: Photos | Tee times, TV | Mina has the lead

2022 U.S. Women's Open
Ingrid Lindblad, of Sweden, lines up a putt on the 11th green during the first round of the U.S. Women’s Open golf tournament at the Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club in Southern Pines, N.C. on Thursday, June 2, 2022. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

It’s not unheard of for players without logos to pick up one overnight in a major championship when in the spotlight. Lindblad won’t have that opportunity this week.

This week’s purse of $10 million is the largest in women’s golf history. The winner earns $1.8 million. If Lindblad had turned pro coming into this week, she could’ve cashed in big.

When asked if she had any regrets, the LSU junior said, “When you say it, yeah, it’s … it would have been fun to win a little bit of money, but I think I’m going to stay in college for a little bit more.”

Only one amateur has ever won this championship, Catherine Lacoste in 1967.

Lindblad was Runion’s first recruit at LSU. When she came on campus for a visit, she was ranked 200th in the world. Runion told her to make the No. 1 sign with her index finger.

“You’re going to be the No. 1 amateur and my first recruit,” he said, taking pictures of her around campus holding up No. 1.

Lindblad has worked hard in the shadows of Zhang of late, but that bright light could shift in a major way this week. She’ll just have to wait longer for the payday.

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U.S. Women’s Open: Find out what putting change led Mina Harigae to nine birdies and an opening 64

SOUTHERN PINES, N.C. – Mina Harigae hasn’t felt confident on the greens all year. Until today. The 32-year-old carded nine birdies in a sizzling 7-under 64 to take the first-round lead at the 77 th U.S. Women’s Open. Her effort ties the …

SOUTHERN PINES, N.C. – Mina Harigae hasn’t felt confident on the greens all year.

Until today.

The 32-year-old carded nine birdies in a sizzling 7-under 64 to take the first-round lead at the 77th U.S. Women’s Open. Her effort ties the second-lowest round in championship history. It also marks her first round in the 60s in 36 previous career rounds at the Women’s Open.

Harigae leads amateur Ingrid Lindblad of Sweden by one stroke.

“It was Jordan Spieth-esque out there today,” she said as she walked off the flash podium late Thursday evening.

Harigae’s 24 putts leads the field. She credited boyfriend Travis Kreiter for finding the key to such a wildly successful day on the greens. All of a sudden, her stroke felt like 2021 again.

“She has a tendency to get her left shoulder up and out,” Kreiter said, “and kind of hit putts weak and right. I just had her hit putts and I put my finger on the top of the grip while she hit putts and she started to hit it more solid.”

2022 U.S. Women's Open
Mina Harigae hits the ball off the 16th tee during the first round of the U.S. Women’s Open golf tournament at the Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club in Southern Pines, N.C. on Thursday, June 2, 2022. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

Harigae, who enjoyed a breakout season last year making the U.S. Solheim Cup team, made a 10-footer for birdie on the first hole that Kreiter said got her going. Her white-hot round included two bogeys, including one on the par-5 10th.

While she played at Pine Needles as an amateur in the 2007 Women’s Open, she only remembered the putting green and first and last holes. The California native spent one semester at Duke, but feels more of a tie to North Carolina due to her affinity for Michael Jordan.

“Must be the shoes, right?” she said, smiling.

 

Photos: 2022 U.S. Women’s Open at Pine Needles

The 77th U.S. Women’s Open will be at Pine Needles for a record fourth time.

The 77th U.S. Women’s Open Presented by ProMedica is June 2-5, 2022, at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club, Southern Pines, North Carolina.

This will be the fourth time the championship was hosted by Pine Needles, the most of any course.

Yuka Saso returns as defending champion. No one has repeated since Karrie Webb in 2001.

Annika Sorenstam is the only golfer in field of 156 who competed in all three previous Women’s Opens held there. She won the 1996 USWO at Pine Needles.

According to golf stats guru Justin Ray, 15 of the last 17 majors have been won by players who had not previously won a major.

Check out some photos from the 2022 U.S. Women’s Open.

 

U.S. Women’s Open: Annika Sorenstam on how her game has changed since she won at Pine Needles in 1996, and what’s required of her now

“I was probably one of the longest off the tees and would hit last into the greens,” she said. “Now it’s the reverse.”

SOUTHERN PINES, North Carolina – On the 15th hole at Pine Needles Tuesday afternoon, Annika Sorenstam hit a good shot and whispered to her husband that her body had started to stiffen up.

Moments later, playing partner Megan Khang, 24, ripped a shot and announced that she was finally starting to feel loose. Sorenstam laughed.

“Here we go,” she said.

At age 51, Sorenstam is twice the average age of the field at the 77th U.S. Women’s Open. She’s the only one of the 156 players who competed in all three previous Women’s Opens held here. Sorenstam, of course, won the first one in 1996 by six strokes over American Kris Tschetter. Karrie Webb (2001) and Cristie Kerr (2007) won the other two. Pine Needles is the first course to host four Women’s Opens.

Now, the 10-time major winner is back in an LPGA major for the first time in 13 years. Lydia Ko lives near Sorenstam at Lake Nona Golf and Country Club in Orlando, Florida, and got an inside glimpse at how hard the LPGA Hall of Famer has been grinding on the range.

“My coach Henri (Reis) came to town last week and wanted to fine-tune it a little bit,” said Sorenstam. “I know to play well here I have to really max out my game.”

Sorenstam earned an exemption into the field by winning the U.S. Senior Women’s Open last year in her championship debut. To prepare for this week’s event, she moved back to the blue tees at Nona. The official yardage this week is around 600 yards longer than the setup was for last year’s Senior Women’s Open at Brooklawn Country Club.

Annika Sorenstam autographs a bobblehead doll of herself holding the U.S. Women’s Trophy at player registration during a practice round at the 2022 U.S. Women’s Open Presented by ProMedica at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club in Southern Pines, N.C. on Monday, May 30, 2022. (Darren Carroll/USGA)

In 1996, Sorenstam shot 70-67-69-66 to finish 8 under for the championship at Pine Needles, which has undergone a restoration since it last held a U.S. Women’s Open.

“I was in the zone that week,” she said. “It’s great to be in the zone, but then I don’t really remember – I was in a different zone. So now it’s like, OK, what was I really thinking? I have to kind of create that again.”

When asked about her expectations this time around, Sorenstam said she knows what she’s capable of. That she can hit fairways and greens and make putts.

“Obviously, I’m in a different position now than in ’96, where I was probably one of the longest off the tees and would hit last into the greens,” she said. “Now it’s the reverse.”

It’s a similar feeling to what she experienced when she played on the PGA Tour at Colonial.

“I think this course is quite generous off the tee,” she said, “and it’s more around the greens being precise with your irons. I’m not really going to have a score in mind, but I feel good about my game. I really do.”

The 2017 Kyle Franz restoration of the Donald Ross design saw the removal of 11 acres of rough. There’s trouble in the form of wiregrass and sandscapes, but most of the headaches will come from around the greens, which Morgan Pressel described as “diabolical.”

“There’s a lot of run-outs,” said Sorenstam. “There’s a lot of undulation to the greens. Knowing the course, I mean, at that time I think I knew a lot of it, but I also hit it where I wanted it. I think that’s the key, is hitting it where you plan to hit it.

“Today I’m standing there with, like I said, hybrids, so maybe 5-iron and maybe 6 or 7, so you have to be a little more precise. I think as far as an approach, I’m going to be aggressive with what I have, but then conservative just hitting greens.”

Sorenstam said that given where she is now in her career, it would be foolish to attack certain hole locations. She’ll have to play smart.

“She was practicing so much before the Gainbridge last year, and I was like, ‘Oh, guys, be careful,’ the GOAT is coming up,” said Ko. “She’s won so many times, more times than all of us.”

Ko finds it cool that Sorenstam wants to do this for her kids, so they can see in real-time what it’s like for mom to play in an LPGA major. This week won’t have the intimate feel of Brooklawn last year.

Son Will, 11, sat on a cooler during her press conference on Tuesday, soaking it all in. Sorenstam said his love of practicing chip shots with a 60-degree wedge back home has paid off for her, as she does it right along with him.

Will she make the cut this week?

Anyone who has followed the women’s game for the past 25 years knows better than to underestimate Sorenstam. She made the cut last year at Nona in her first LPGA start in a dozen years. Her last missed cut in a U.S. Women’s Open came in 1999. The last shot she hit in this championship was a hole-out for eagle on the 72nd hole in 2008.

This major is already unlike any other LPGA major in that it’s a family affair. Before she signed up to compete, her husband and kids had to agree to the notion of mom putting in the hours required. Sorenstam wouldn’t dream of coming here unprepared.

Just before Sorenstam met with the media, son Will, who will pour over the yardage book and dissect every shot she hits this week, said “I love you so much, mommy. I believe in you.”

“That’s what I’m going to keep the rest of the week,” said Sorenstam.

The ultimate major pep talk.

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‘I think I just blacked out that week’: Michelle Wie West returns to area where she won the U.S. Women’s Open

Driving by Pinehurst No. 2, Wie West said it looked cool. She had no idea it was the course that made her a major champion.

SOUTHERN PINES, North Carolina – Michelle Wie West hadn’t been back to this area since she won the U.S. Women’s Open eight years ago, and well, the memories didn’t exactly come flooding back.

“I walked in Pinehurst Village this morning to get coffee,” she said. “Funny enough, I don’t remember anything about the week. It just looked like I walked for the first time. I didn’t recognize it at all.”

Driving by Pinehurst No. 2, where she won, Wie West commented that it looked like a cool course. She had no idea it was the course that made her a major champion.

“I think I just blacked out that week,” she said with a laugh.

Michelle Wie West decides on how to play a bunker shot during a practice round at the 2022 U.S. Women’s Open Presented by ProMedica at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club in Southern Pines, N.C. on Tuesday, May 31, 2022. (Jeff Haynes/USGA)

Wie West met with reporters ahead of the 77th U.S. Women’s Open at Pine Needles. Last week she told Golfweek that this would be her last event of the season. That she’s planning to step away from the LPGA, returning in 2023 only for the historic Women’s Open at Pebble Beach. She stopped short of calling it a retirement.

“This week I’m just soaking it all in,” she said. “Just seeing all the fans, seeing all the players, walking the walk. It’s pretty cool.”

If Wie West remembers little of 2014, it’s probably for the best, since the last time she played at Pine Needles, it didn’t end well. In 2007, Wie West withdrew from the tournament citing wrist pain after 27 holes. She was 17 over par.

Now a wife and mom, she will move on to her next chapter with five LPGA titles and no regrets. She’s especially proud of the resiliency she has shown over the course of many injuries and a host of controversial decisions, mostly regarding her time teeing it up against the men.

As Wie West prepares her exit, Annika Sorenstam returns to an LPGA major stage for the first time in 13 years. The 10-time major winner earned her exemption into Pine Needles by winning the U.S. Senior Women’s Open in 2021.

“I remember her swing was really very powerful,” said Sorenstam of early memories playing against Wie West, “especially her wedge game. She put a lot of spin on the ball, and being 6-foot something like that, I was, like, wow, this girl has got it.

“She still had a great career in many ways. Maybe other people thought she would do more, but it’s hard to win out here. She won a U.S. Open, as you know, and other events. She’s been great for the game.”

Michelle Wie West checks her yardage book during a practice round at the 2022 U.S. Women’s Open Presented by ProMedica at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club in Southern Pines, N.C. on Tuesday, May 31, 2022. (Jeff Haynes/USGA)

Certainly, no player on tour right now has been more of a household name than Wie West.

“I had someone come up to me at player dining today saying that they were named after me,” Wie West said, “so that made me feel really young.”

That has happened often to Sorenstam over the years. In fact, a young woman walking with her on Tuesday at Pine Needles was named Annika, born in 1996, the year Sorenstam won a U.S. Women’s Open at Pine Needles.

“What a great honor that is,” said Sorenstam.

One reserved for the truly exceptional.

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Nelly Korda opens up on the funny feeling that sidelined her for months

This will be Korda’s eighth Women’s Open appearance. She has missed the cut in her last two USWO starts.

SOUTHERN PINES, North Carolina – It started as a funny feeling in her arm. Nelly Korda, who was in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, on March 11 for a photoshoot and commercial appearance, listened to her body, went to the ER for an ultrasound and, after finding a specialist in Sarasota, Florida, underwent surgery for a blood clot in a subclavian vein in her left arm. She’s fuzzy on the exact date of surgery, but first posted about it on social media on April 8.

A Tuesday morning press conference at the 77th U.S. Women’s Open at Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club in Southern Pines, North Carolina, marked her first time in front of the media since the health scare occurred.

“Obviously I did a lot, a lot of rehab,” she said, “went actually out to California for a month, did rehab there, worked with my coach Jamie Mulligan. Wanted him to be there for when I first started hitting balls.”

When asked if doctors had given her any indication on the cause of the blood clot, Korda said yes, but that she’d like to keep that information private.

Korda, 23, last teed it up on the LPGA in early February at the LPGA Drive On Championship. She finished T-15, T-20, and T-4 in three starts this season and missed the first major of the year.

This will be Korda’s eighth U.S. Women’s Open appearance. She has missed the cut in her last two USWO starts. Her best finish, a share of 10th, came in 2018 at Shoal Creek. She’s taking a grateful approach to this week, noting that she’s “not expecting too much.”

Korda, who is wearing a compression sleeve on her left arm, said rehab consisted mostly of back and shoulder exercises. She’s been struggling with shoulder issues for a year now.

Nelly Korda hits from the 18th tee during the first round of the 2022 Gainbridge LPGA at Boca Rio Golf Club on January 27, 2022, in Boca Raton, Florida. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)

“I kind of just made sure that I was ready and 100 percent going into my comeback,” she said, “and I didn’t really want to rush it or anything. I just wanted to make sure that I wasn’t going to have any issues, even if it was just with like a little bit of my shoulder bugging me coming back in.”

Korda won four times on the LPGA in 2021 as well as Olympic gold in Tokyo and was named Female Player of the Year by the Golf Writers Association of America. She’s currently No. 2 in the world.

Korda missed being on tour so much, that the only time she watched LPGA coverage on TV was when big sister Jessica contended on Sunday at the Chevron Championship.

“That one hurt a lot just because it was the last event,” she said, “the last time there.”

She began hitting balls again around the Palos Verdes Championship in late April, starting out slow at 60 percent, hitting her 8-iron around 100 yards to see how her arm felt. Once she got the clearance from her doctor, she was “good to go.”

“As I got closer to this week,” she said, “I started finally hitting it a little longer. I think the juices started flowing a little bit more, but I’m so happy to be out here. I’ve missed everyone, and I’m just grateful.”

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