A Tale of Two Nines: Nelly Korda Rallies to Make the Weekend at Chevron

This is why golf is the greatest game on the planet. When she needed something spectacular—she dug deep and gave it her all. Despite an uncharacteristic opening round of 77, Nelly Korda lives to see another day at The Club at Carlton Woods and hopefully take a run at defending her title.

Friday at the Chevron came down to the wire for the world No.1, battling daylight and a cut line that was hovering around two-over par. It was nothing short of a cinematic masterpiece. Let's set the scene.

Thursday's Round

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Much of Thursday showed us a perplexed Korda, who looked out of sorts with her shockingly cold flatstick. It was nothing short of a heart-wrenching, angsty scene for the defending champ.

But the saga didn't end at the last putt. After Thursday's round, in which she needed 33 putts to complete, Korda and her team were seen hitting the practice green.

But she wasn't using the blade putter that she put in play Thursday. Instead, she practiced with a mallet-style putter that looked similar to her former putter.

Korda would place that mallet putter in the bag for Friday.

Friday's Slow Burn

With a fresh scorecard and putter in tow, Korda was looking to shake things up.

But right out of the gate, it seemed that the dark cloud from Thursday had carried over. Her posture, her walk, her stroke all looked deflated.

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It was a slow start for Korda. After a slew of marginally bad shots which led to some early bogeys—the round was quickly unfolding to be a tough watch.

The Crescendo

And then suddenly, like a pleasant jump-scare in the thriller you can't seem to peel your eyes away from, Nelly looked like herself again on the 17th. The first birdie on the day was all she needed to put some pep in her step.

And just like that, another one fell. She made the turn at even par.

And then another one. Soon, Korda made three consecutive birdies, and found herself able to keep her weekend hopes alive.

She's go on to birdied six of her last 11 holes, looking like the Nelly of last year that we all grown to know and adore.

She displayed heart and grit and her round truly became a full on story of redemption. With her back against the wall, odds completely stacked against her, Nelly Korda did Nelly Korda things while being beautifully lit by the setting Texas sun.

You can't make this up, folks. You couldn't have scripted a better story. The world's best marches on to the weekend.