Nelly Korda is in position for a historic U.S. Women's Open win at Riviera

PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. – “The arrow needs to be pulled back in order to be shot forward.”

There was a time Nelly Korda had that saying as a wallpaper on her phone. Older sister Jessica thought about getting an arrow tattoo. It’s not exactly a Korda family motto, but it’s something they talk about often, said Jessica, who was standing outside at Riviera Country Club as Nelly met with the press after taking a share of the 54-hole lead at the 81st U.S. Women’s Open.

“Even though you might feel like you’re taking a step back, who knows, you might be taking four or five steps forward?” Jessica said. “But that’s the whole point of life. You’re always going to be going back and then forward, back and then forward. You’re never going to have an up trajectory.”

Nelly won four times on the LPGA in 2021, including her first major and an Olympic gold medal. Then, won only once the next two years. She won seven times in 2024, including her second major, and then nothing but heartbreak in 2025, including a runner-up finish in at the U.S. Women’s Open at Erin Hills.

This season, she’s lost to only nine players total in seven starts, winning three times, including a third major title at the Chevron Championship. The difference, she said, has been a mindset shift. When bad breaks happen, as they inevitably will, she’s endeavoring to embrace the challenge rather than get down.

“That’s kind of been the attitude I’ve tried to change to,” said Korda, “Because I think the worst thing that you can be, but which I am still, is a perfectionist in this sport. It does drive you nuts when you constantly miss a divot or you’re in a divot by a centimeter here and there, or you hit a great putt and it just lips out.”

When it comes to working on her mind, Korda said she’s talked to “a bunch of people.” Her fiancé, Casey Gunderson, encourages her to be more positive. She has taken to traveling with Post-It notes to give herself uplifting reminders when she’s getting ready for the day.

“Casey brings a very positive and calm personality to her tornado mess sometimes,” said Jessica with a laugh. “He’s been a great addition.”

Korda finished with a flurry of birdies at Riviera on Saturday to get to 6 under, tied with South Korean veteran Sei Young Kim, whose 13 LPGA titles include the 2020 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.

Of the top seven names on the leaderboard, five are major winners. In Gee Chun, a three-time major winner with two U.S. Women’s Open trophies, looks to become the seventh player in U.S. Women’s Open history to win three or more titles. She trails by one alongside Jennifer Kupcho, who birdied two of her last three on a picture-perfect day in L.A. County.

The first female to win at Augusta National and the last to win at Mission Hills, Kupcho looks to make more history at Riviera, a place that has quickly captured her heart.

“I love playing this golf course,” said Kupcho. “Like I don’t say that about many golf courses. I said that walking up 18 to my caddie and I said, wow, this is such a cool place. Like I love this place.

“And he’s like, I’ve never heard you say that before.”

Charley Hull posted the lowest round of the tournament, a glittering 6-under 65 to value into a share of eighth with supermom Alison Lee, the L.A. native who gave birth to son Levi 13 months ago.

“I played really decent actually the first two days tee-to-green; just couldn’t get a putt,” said Hull. “So kind of just stuck in there and just went at everything today. Just thought f*** it.”

While the board is crammed with major winners, a number of hotshot amateurs stand poised with nothing to lose. NCAA and Augusta National Women’s Amateur champion Maria Jose Marin and 16-year-old Aphrodite Deng are only four strokes back at 2 under.

Asterisk Talley, 17, posted the lowest weekend round by an amateur in U.S. Women’s Open history — a bogey-free 5-under 66 — to take a share of 16th at 1 under.

Kiara Romero, the No. 1 amateur in the world, sits at even par. NCAA champion Farah O’Keefe celebrated her 21st birthday on Saturday with a 1-under 70. She rounds out a fivesome of amateurs in the top 25.

A total of 17 players are under par for the championship, and this marks the first time 30 years that every player in the top 3 after 54 holes is a major winner.

Going into Sunday, however, all eyes are on the No. 1 player in the world. This is the title Korda wants the most. When she qualified for her first U.S. Women’s Open as a 14-year-old at Sebonack, she fell in love with the idea of playing professional golf. Not because big sister Jessica did it, but because she wanted it for herself.

“She got to sign the autographs, she felt like total badass,” said Jessica, “being able to do all the things, all the free stuff. See the (tour) trucks, that were there for her instead of being with me. She had her name on the locker. That’s really where she fell in love with it.”

The arrow has never been more poised to fly.

Beth Ann Nichols is a senior writer for Golfweek covering the LPGA.