Not all golfers enjoy taking advice from family members, however well-intentioned they may be. But Nelly Korda, the top women’s golfer, used a swing tip from her sister to bounce back from a rough start and into contention at the 2026 US Women’s Open.
I’m sorry that Korda’s sister, Jessica Kordais not an amateur swing guru. She is one herself a six-time LPGA winnerwith two career US Open top 10s.
When Nelly was struggling to find answers after a poor opening round, Jessica stepped in with a simple tip that righted the ship for number 1 in the world.
Korda calls on sister for help in top move at US Women’s Open
Korda, of the Nelly variety, entered this week’s Riviera with high expectations. She will already captured the first major of the yearChevron Championship in April, along with two more wins and three runner-up finishes.
It looked like this was the year she would finally win the US Women’s Open.
Then came Thursday.
Korda struggled with her pace throughout Round 1, a poor strategy for such a difficult course Riviera. She made four bogeys and just two birdies to finish with a two-over 73.
It looked like instead of claiming the lead, Nelly would struggle to make it to Friday.
But in a post-round session Thursday night before Round 2, Korda found what he was looking for. Or, rather, Jessica did.
“It was weird because I was hitting it so well from Monday to Wednesday, and all of a sudden I didn’t really — I had no idea what was going on yesterday with my driver,” Korda said Friday. “So I tried to figure it out on the range after the round and somehow something went wrong.”
The swing overhaul came after Korda had struggled with his “top push,” which resulted in inconsistent swings and swings to the right. Jessica’s simple tip? Strengthen your control.
“Actually, a big shout out to my sister because she helped me out. I just tried to tighten up my grip a little bit,” Korda explained on Friday. “I just keep putting it on top and I’ve been working on it, god, grinding it for five weeks, and I can’t get it. I don’t know what I’m doing in my swing, so I’m just trying to tighten my grip.”
While the new control didn’t feel natural for Korda in the second round, she was determined to keep it anyway.
“I felt super nervous today, but I just believed and went with it,” Korda said.
After seeing the results in Round 2, Nelly may ask Jessica for advice more often. The younger sister carded five birdies against a lone bogey to shoot a four-under 67, despite changing golf shoes in between.
