ESPN Golf: Korda's Late Three-Birdie Surge Creates Sunday Showdown with Kim at U.S. Women's Open

Overview

Nelly Korda turned what looked like a fading third round into a gripping Sunday setup at the U.S. Women's Open. Standing three shots off the lead on the 15th tee at Riviera Country Club, the world No. 1 produced three consecutive birdies to close with a 4-under 67 and share the 54-hole lead with Sei Young Kim.

The Closing Run

After a sluggish middle stretch, Korda took direct aim on the par-3 15th with an 8-iron and converted a 5-foot birdie putt. She followed with a birdie at the par-5 17th and completed the hat-trick with another on the 72nd hole. The three-birdie finish in under an hour completely reset the leaderboard dynamic.

"Major championships are about grinding and then kind of when you have that little window to be aggressive, you really have to take it," Korda said after her round.

Context: A Complicated History, A New Mindset

Korda enters Sunday with three wins from eight starts in 2026, including a major title at the Chevron Championship. But the U.S. Women's Open has historically been her Achilles' heel — she has missed the cut three times in the event, more than at any other major.

This season, she deliberately adopted what she calls a "mindset shift," writing positive notes to herself on Post-it notes placed on her bathroom mirror each week. A mid-tournament grip adjustment suggested by her sister Jessica also contributed to back-to-back 67s — her lowest rounds ever at a U.S. Open.

Strokeslab Take

From a Strokes Gained lens, Korda's late-round surge reflects elite execution under pressure — precise iron play generating SG: APP value on 15, and clean putting to convert. Her consistency this season across SG: Total metrics sets up Sunday's final group as one of the most compelling finishes in recent Women's Open history.