Nelly Korda Regrets Preparation for Chevron Championship Title Defense

The world No. 1 wished she had played a full 18-hole practice round ahead of the year's first major championship, but said “it’s on me.”

Nelly Korda rallied for a top-15 finish in her Chevron Championship title defense despite limited preparation this week. / Erik Williams-Imagn Images

Nelly Korda has a few regrets about her Chevron Championship preparation. 

This season, the world No. 1 is playing the week before majors to keep her game sharp before the year’s biggest events. And entering her Chevron title defense, Korda played last week in Los Angeles. She then flew to Houston on Monday, hosted the champion’s dinner that night, played nine holes in the pro-am Tuesday and only played the back nine Wednesday with inclement weather. 

“It's just really tough with a 6 p.m. finishing time in L.A. on the West Coast and having to get to a major,” Korda said after the final round. “It’s hard to be fresh on a Monday. So I just wish I maybe got 18 in (a practice round), but we got rained out on Wednesday. Kind of tough. I was off early on Thursday. 

“So wanted to prioritize my rest, but at the end of the day I mean, you just got to roll with the punches and continue learning.”

Korda didn’t have her best stuff in the opening round, carding a 5-over 77. However, she rallied for a top-15 finish. Still, it’s hard to think about what could have been. 

“I mean, I didn't even—I just played the pro-am, the front nine, so didn’t get to chip, putt, see how the greens are releasing, since with this new pro-am protocol where we can't chip and putt anymore,” the 26-year-old said, “so not having that kind of sucked.”

But she won’t blame anyone but herself. 

“At the end of the day, I mean, I did have the chance to play in the afternoon on Wednesday and I didn’t take it,” she said, “so it’s on me.”