What do we make of Nelly Korda at U.S. Women’s Open? And who’s surprising?

The U.S. Women’s Open is nearing its halfway point at Erin Hills in bucolic Erin, Wis. — but the key word is ‘nearing.’ As play was approaching the end of the second round on Friday afternoon, the storm horn rang and play was stopped for about an hour, delaying the completion of round two until Saturday. But we still had golf. Mao Saigo, the Chevron winner, shined. Nelly Korda soared. There were also a fair share of surprises. 

So we’ve convened staffers Zephyr Melton and Nick Piastowski to digest it all. Both are on-site. Both have eaten cheese curds this week. 

Nick Piastowski (@nickpia): Hi, Zephyr! Hope you’re dry! Let’s get right into it. What do you make of the top of the leaderboard?

Zephyr Melton (@zephyrmelton): It’s got some star power! Nelly is obviously the biggest name, but Saigo is no slouch herself, having won the Chevron last month. And with other major winners such as A Lim Kim and Hinako Shibuno up there as well, it’s got the makings of an exciting weekend ahead.

Piastowski: Pretty ideal leaderboard, I’d say. We got Saigo (whom we’ll talk about in my next question.) We got A Lim Kim, who’s won this tournament before. We got Hinako Shibuno, a major champion. And Nelly (whom we’ll talk about below, too.) And a good number of players are within striking distance. The USGA and NBC should be happy. All right, can Saigo … go 2 for 2 in majors?

Melton: So far it seems like she’s up to the task! She played nearly flawless golf on Friday with her only bogey coming after an unlucky bounce off the flagstick. If she can continue playing like she has, we could be on Grand Slam watch come Sunday evening.

Piastowski: These things tend to snowball, right. Why not? She’s been excellent on the greens — Saigo is second in strokes gained: putting, and first in putts her hole. Let’s talk Korda. What’s the difference with her this week?

Melton: The word she used to describe her game after round two was “patient.” After a frustrating opening round where she couldn’t get anything to drop, it would’ve been easy to start pressing, but she stuck to her game plan Friday and finally got some putts to drop. The recipe seemed to work, as she’s got the best chance she’s ever had to win a U.S. Women’s Open.

Piastowski: A funky putting day for her — she missed a couple of shorties, but also drained over 100 feet of putts. After her short media session after the first round, she went straight to the practice green, so something must’ve clicked? We’ll see on Saturday. What’s your impression of Erin Hills this week? Has it done the job?

Melton: It’s certainly got a major-championship feel to it in size and scale, but a lack of wind has made it much more scoreable than I was expecting. I’ll be eager to see how much the USGA dials it up over the weekend with scores being relatively low through two days. 

Piastowski: It’s definitely a big ballpark, and yes, I agree, with the winds down, we haven’t seen Erin Hills’ full fire. Still, if you golf your ball well, we’ll be rewarded, and if you don’t, you won’t, which is all you can ask. The best players have been identified. OK, which player is hanging around  and we’ll be talking about more at this time tomorrow?

Melton: Gonna go with a couple Aussies in Minjee Lee and Hannah Green. Each sits at two-under through 36 holes and each has won major titles before. Don’t be surprised if one (or both) of them makes a run tomorrow.

Piastowski: I’m going with Gemma Dryburgh. I’ve followed her all week for another story, and she’s in good form and confident. She’s managed her game well. Biggest surprise — in a good way?

Melton: Sarah Schmelzel being just a few shots off the lead has got to be the biggest surprise. Before 2024, she’d never registered a top 10 in a major, but over the past year, she’s notched two of them. She seems to have finally figured out how to manage the major-championship test — and she’s doing so beautifully so far at Erin Hills.

Piastowski: Leta Lindley hung tough. The U.S. Senior Women’s Open champ shot rounds of 76 and 78. A tip of the cap there. OK, biggest surprise — in a bad way? 

Melton: Lilia Vu missing the cut by a mile. She burst onto the scene two years ago as she snagged a couple major titles in a year, and last season, she was runner-up twice in the majors. She’s been a big-game hunter, but this week, she just didn’t have it.

Piastowski: For me, I’ll go with Brooke Henderson missing the cut. I thought Erin Hills would have been a strong course fit for the bomber. Who leads after 54?

Melton: Nelly. She’s hit the ball better than just about everyone this week, and on Friday, she found something on the greens. She’s getting hot at the right time.

Piastowski: Nelly, hey? I’m sticking with my pick from yesterday, A Lim Kim. She’s pounding it out there. Last question: Our colleague, Sean Zak, brought us Erin Hills’ fried cheese curds today. What did ya think?

Melton: Absolute fire.

Piastowski: Zak had been vouching for these things all week, and man, it legitimately hurts me to say this, but … [whispers] he was right. Really good.   

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