Another failed attempt at breaking her winless streak. Being the #1 in the world, Nelly Korda is expected to know how to overcome final round jitters. Going into Sunday, 3 strokes away from the top of the leaderboard, everyone was excited to see her put up a challenge for Maja Stark. At one point, she was solo second, trailing the Swede with only a couple of strokes. It seemed like she would push for the title and finally achieve glory in 2025. Unfortunately, that was not to be.
The 26-year-old only missed finding the green in regulation 4 times in the final round. However, one thing that failed her was her green work. She jumped up 32 spots from a par finish in the first 18 holes to T2 in the second round. While that was still better than her efforts on the penultimate day, it wasn’t enough to push her through for the win. She needed to find her from the second round back to deliver the killing blow. She needed a 5-under par round to win the tournament.
In a post-round interview with Cara Banks, she was asked what went wrong for her today. Korda replied, “Honestly, everything. Mental, hitting the shots… The golf course has progressively gotten tougher and tougher, firmer and firmer. So, you just had to make the putts at the end of the day, and a couple slipped by. I hit it really good on the 18th, but I just hit it a little too far left of my target. Drew it too much. No complaints. Hopefully, can kind of build off of this. Putting myself in contention at a major. Obviously, slipping just short, a little. I’m happy with the progress, and hopefully I can continue on like this.”
Despite the disappointment, it seems like the #1 is happy with her performance at Erin Hills. Why wouldn’t she be? This is her best finish in the U.S. Women’s Open ever. While she was still hoping to win it, she was glad not to lose her way too much in the taxing challenges presented by the course. However, she did speak about missing the putt on the 18th. Had she landed the stroke, then she would have finished solo second on the leaderboard, just a stroke behind Stark.
Speaking of her best finish, Korda was asked about her complicated relationship with the U.S. Women’s Open and if things are better after today. She laughed it off a bit while replying, “Still very complicated. It’s just an absolute heartbreaker. But it’s fine. That’s golf. You lose more than you win. But you learn a lot.” While still trying to figure out how she can crack through the U.S. Women’s Open, Korda hopefully learned a lot from getting her best finish at the major. Hopefully, this will lead to finally winning the tournament in the coming years.
Speaking of her time playing the major in the press conference, Korda had also mentioned, “This is — obviously I played this event when I was 14 years old, so maybe a little bit more emotional about it. I mean, definitely it’s gotten my heart broken a couple times, especially last year with coming off the season I was coming off of.” This was the 11th time she had played in the U.S. Women’s Open after debuting in the event at the age of 14. Before this year’s runner-up finish, her previous best was the T8 in 2022.
Nelly Korda. Gracious in defeat.@Ally pic.twitter.com/ReLCeBG8ik
— U.S. Women’s Open (@uswomensopen) June 1, 2025
Nelly Korda’s honest, humble, and positive takeaway from the 2025 U.S. Women’s Open struck a chord among her fans. And they didn’t shy away from showing their support for her.
Netizens rally behind Nelly Korda after she reflects positively on heartbreaking loss
Despite not crossing the finish line first, Nelly Korda still had a lot of positives to take from finishing second in the tournament. The response left the community heartbroken as well as one of the fans commented, “Keep it up and Best of luck on your extraordinary journey @NellyKorda Stay Slid ,” trying to cheer up the #1. If she keeps pushing for a win in the U.S. Women’s Open like this every year, then she will surely achieve the feat very soon. Her journey to win the major could be just as extraordinary as her career has been in recent years.
Another was happy to see Korda’s approach to a loss. They wrote, “So very proud of my girl. Played well. Best ever finish at this tournament.” Reflecting positively despite losing the 2025 U.S. Women’s Open after getting so close shows how she tackles every challenge on the fairway. While she may still be winless in 2025, this runner-up finish might help her gain momentum and start dominating this season as well.
There were a few fans who commended Korda for not shying away from facing the truth. One of them wrote, “Kudos to Nelly for talking to the media after a disappointing round. At least one prominent male player could learn from her,” while another added, “And addressing the media after it all! All Class!” This seemed to be a clear jab at Rory McIlroy, who was accused of “hiding out” after the shocking finish in the 2025 PGA Championship. He hasn’t spoken to the media since.
Coming back to Nelly Korda, she received even more praise for her attitude towards the loss. A fan said, “You’re still an absolute legend @NellyKorda! Hang in there, more wins are coming your way! ” They were confident that if the #1 carries this attitude to every event, then she will definitely grab many more wins in the near future.
The post All Fans Say the Same Thing as Nelly Korda Is Left ‘Heartbroken’ After Near Win at U.S. Women’s Open appeared first on EssentiallySports.