Three-time LPGA Tour winner Nelly Korda comes to Mission Hills Country Club riding the high of a season-best tie for third at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship. After spending the first few tournaments sorting out equipment changes, the third-ranked player in the Rolex Rankings finally feels like her game is coming to a comfortable point as she approaches this week’s major competition.
“I've been kind of lost at the beginning of the season,” said Korda. “Then finally at (the AIG Women’s Open), I laid out a plan, and it started to work. It's kind of kept me calmer out there as well.”
This week, Korda will look to her past to help layout a successful game plan, especially given the extreme heat that blankets the Coachella Valley each September. Korda is competing in her sixth ANA Inspiration, but it’s her August week at Mission Hills during the first stage of 2015 LPGA Q School that will provide her best direction for surviving the elements.
“I remember when I was here during Q-school, and it's kind of rough around this time of year, especially in the desert, but they've done a really good job this year,” said Korda, whose best ANA finish is a tie for 13th in 281. “The greens are really pure, and the rough is really thick around the greens.”
AUSTIN ERNST TAKES TIME TO CELEBRATE, GRADUALLY SHIFT FOCUS TO MAJOR AFTER WIN
After earning her second career LPGA Tour win on Aug. 30 at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship, Austin Ernst headed into a week off from competition. It was a time for celebration with family and friends, instead of transitioning to the next stop on the schedule.
The time away was undoubtedly refreshing and allowed for a gradual shift in focus.
“There wasn’t a lot of time for reflection, it was more getting to enjoy the win which was nice,” said Ernst, who captured the Walmart title at -20. “Now I can focus on this week. It was great to get the week off to actually celebrate the win and not feel like I have to immediately prepare for an event.”
As she prepares for her ninth start in the ANA Inspiration, Ernst enters with a boatload of confidence. It started to build thanks to a fifth-place finish at the AIG Women’s Open, her second career top-10 result in 36 major tournament appearances. It continued to blossom as she worked her way into the winner’s circle just nine days ago at Pinnacle Country Club in Rogers, Ark.
Even with the surge in confidence, Ernst knows her performance this week, and in majors particularly, comes down to consistency in one area: putting.
“I’m trying to put myself in position to have a chance to win every week,” said Ernst, who secured her best finish at the ANA Inspiration of T14 in 2017. “That’s my next step to contend in majors and hopefully get a major championship. Lag putting is going to be really important. You’re going to have a lot more putts in the 30- to 40-foot range than usual weeks with how long the course is playing right now. Then in majors, putting inside of 6-10 feet is huge. I’m still very aggressive and I’ve played this course a lot, so I know where to leave it.”
NASA HATAOKA ISN’T IN SCOTLAND ANYMORE
From temperatures in the low 60s with winds blowing at 10-20 mph in Scotland to highs of 118 degrees with hazy skies in California, three-time LPGA Tour winner Nasa Hataoka could immediately feel the climate difference when she arrived in Rancho Mirage.
“The weather is obviously the most surprising thing this week,” said Hataoka. “When I landed at the airport, it was incredibly hot.”
In terms of her game, Hataoka changed up her plan of attack after the two weeks in Scotland. “It was a long break after the three tournaments starting in Scotland, and I found some things that I need to work on,” said the Japanese star, who was the LPGA Tour’s youngest winner in 2019. “Mainly my short game, especially after playing under the windy conditions in Scotland. I thought I needed some work on getting up and down on a lot of shots.”
Wind could be a factor this week in the Desert, but the main storyline will undoubtedly be the heat. With temperatures expected climb well above 100, caddies have the option to drive a cart instead of toting a heavy bag all 18 holes. Hataoka’s caddie Greg Johnston does not plan to use a cart, but his boss hopes he’ll at least keep his mind open.
“A sun umbrella and using an ice bag and trying to stay away from the sun as much as possible,” said Hataoka of her plan to beat the heat. “My caddie says he'll carry the bag instead of using the cart, but I might have to convince him to think otherwise.”
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