CHASKA, Minn. – A very pregnant Jessica Korda was on the practice putting green listening to her sister let out some frustration after the third round of the KPMG Women’s PGA. Two weeks ago at Riviera Country Club, it was Jessica who gave Nelly the grip tip she needed to claw back to victory at the U.S. Women’s Open.
Could she do the same to deliver some confidence on the greens?
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This week at Hazeltine National, where Nelly trails Haeran Ryu by four strokes going into the final round, she’s 7-of-11 on putts between 3 and 5 feet, according to Elias Sports Bureau, ranking 65th from that distance among the 68 competitors who are playing the weekend.
At the U.S. Women’s Open, Korda was 19-of-20 from that distance over all four rounds.
Korda had a pair of three-putts in her round of 71 on Saturday, marking the fourth round she’s had all season with multiple three-putts (Chevron R4, Founders R4, and Ford Championship R2).
Asked during her post-round press conference to point to one thing in the round that didn’t go as she wanted, a smiling Nelly Korda shot back, “What do you think?”
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“Putting,” the veteran scribe replied.
“OK, thank you,” said Korda. “Yeah, just left a few putts out there.”
Nelly Korda of the United States lines up her putt on the 14th green during the third round of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship 2026 at Hazeltine National Golf Club on June 27, 2026 in Chaska, Minnesota.
On Golf Central Saturday evening, Karen Stupples noted that she’d played in the pro-am on Tuesday with Alison Lee, and they both struggled with green-reading at Hazeltine.
“There’s an element of insane frustration when you’re playing out there, hitting your spots, the ball’s not going in the hole, and it kind of magnifies itself,” said Stupples.
Korda, who is attempting to become only the third player in LPGA history to win the first three majors of the season, had this to say when asked how aggressive she could be in the final round.
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“It just depends on the weather,” said Korda. “The greens are pretty slick. They don’t have too much grass on them. The short putts are pretty difficult.
“Putting in general, when it gets this windy, you have to calculate in the wind, too, and a gust here and there. Sometimes you just aren’t as confident with your lines.”
Beth Ann Nichols is a senior writer for Golfweek covering the LPGA. Follow her on Twitter/X (@GolfweekNichols).
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Nelly Korda vents to sister Jessica after tough day on greens at KPMG Women’s PGA
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