Nelly Korda has fond memories of playing Pebble Beach Golf Links — the video game version.
She and her brother, tennis up-and-comer Sebastian Korda, would play EA Sports’ annual “Tiger Woods PGA Tour” series as kids.
“We used to always play Pebble,” Korda told reporters, “and my favorite hole was always 7 on that game.”
Maybe that old knowledge of Pebble’s par-3 seventh hole came in handy Monday when, during a practice round ahead of this week’s U.S. Women’s Open, Korda said she nearly made a hole-in-one.
“I haven’t made a hole-in-one since I was I think 11, but I was over it and I was like, ‘Hole-in-one, hole-in-one,'” said Korda, who used a pitching wedge. “It landed probably an inch away from the cup.”
Korda will be one of the stars of the show this week at Pebble Beach in California, where the famed venue is hosting a modern women’s major championship for the first time.
Korda and the other best players in the world have headed west just two weeks after playing historic Baltusrol Golf Club in New Jersey for the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.
“It’s amazing to see we’re making these massive strides forward, not only with the increase in purses but the venues we get to play, the rich history that we just get to be a part of,” Korda said. “I think that’s our little piece of history, as well.”
Pebble Beach hosted the U.S. Women’s Amateur in 1940 and 1948 when it was considered a major. Since then, the likes of Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson and Tiger Woods have won U.S. Opens there, but the women’s game haven’t been back.
The USGA has already agreed to hold more U.S. Women’s Opens at Pebble Beach in 2035, 2040 and 2048.
The course, situated above the coastline in California’s Monterey Peninsula, is iconic not only for its history but its visual appeal.
“I would say scenic,” Korda said. “The views out here are impeccable. Some of the biggest houses I’ve ever seen, too. It’s a little bit distracting being on the golf course and looking at all the properties here.”
It’s a difficult test of golf, to boot, with players preparing for small greens and difficult slopes and elevations.
“I don’t think you can compare this golf course to any tournament,” Korda said. “It’s Pebble. Now I understand it, playing it for the first time.”
Korda, who missed the cut at the Women’s PGA last month after taking some time off to deal with back pain, is still ranked No. 2 in the world and is hunting for her second major championship after breaking through at the 2021 Women’s PGA.
She is also excited for what major venues like Pebble Beach — and record prize purses, like the record-setting $10 million on offer at the U.S. Women’s Open last year — can do for the future of women’s golf.
“Everything comes hand in hand,” Korda said. “I think when we get put on these incredible venues and you raise the prize money, that just raises attention. I think everything comes hand in and everything has to work together to form something beautiful.”
–Field Level Media