The only thing that could make Jessica Korda happier than her 14-year-old sister Nelly Korda joining her in the U.S. Women’s Open, would be to win her first major LPGA tournament this week with the entire family on hand.
The daughters of one-time tennis champion Petr Korda will become only the seventh set of sisters to play in the same Women’s U.S. Open when they tee off today at the Sebonack Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y.
Teen amateur Nelly made the Open a family affair for the Bradenton residents by taking medalist honors at a 36-hole qualifying tournament at Bear Lakes Country Club in West Palm Beach last month with rounds of 2-under-par 70 and 1-under 71.
“When I heard she shot 3-under, I thought, ‘Oh, my God, she’s going to play with me!'” said Jessica, 20, who will be playing in her sixth U.S. Women’s Open. “I was more excited about her playing in her first U.S. Open than me playing in the U.S. Open. She’s kind of following in my footsteps.”
Nelly, among 64 players to earn a spot through qualifying, will be the youngest player in the field.
She began playing golf at age 2 with plastic clubs soon after her big sister started taking golf lessons.
“It’s so special,” said Nelly, who made her first Open on her second attempt at qualifying. “I haven’t played with her in the same tournament since 2010. So it’ll be really fun. I can’t wait. She’s been my inspiration, I want to be like her.”
“She’s most excited,” Jessica said, “that our lockers are going to be next to each other.”
Nelly had attended all five of Jessica’s previous U.S. Opens.
“I’ve always watched her outside the ropes and I’m like, ‘One day I’m going to make it.’ Just watching her play, I just wanted to,” Nelly said. “I made it a year earlier than her.
Their first-round tee times
today are nearly seven hours apart. Nelly will tee off at 7:07 a.m., and should be finished before Jessica’s 1:58 p.m. start time.
Jessica is glad she’s not paired with her sister.
“It would definitely be a lot of fun, don’t get me wrong,” Jessica said. “She can play with me whenever she wants. Out there, you want to play with somebody you don’t know and learn something new.”
Jessica, who has been on the LPGA Tour for 21/2 years, made 16 of 20 cuts last year.
She has won $725,970 in career earnings, with six top 10 finishes.
So far this year she’s won $334,375. Her best finish to date has been a tie for second at the Mobile Bay LPGA Classic, where she earned $94,065.
So what has Nelly learned from her older sister?
“Definitely being calm and controlling emotions and being mature,” Nelly said. “On the golf side, she teaches me what to do, what not to do, how to know the course, how to prepare. She’s definitely a huge influence.”
Jessica plans to have a pre-tournament talk with Nelly to reinforce composure. “You’re going to feel like you’re going to pass out. You need to just go through your routine, don’t even think about it as the U.S. Open,” Jessica said. “Because everything is going to feel like it’s going by really fast.”
Petr Korda will caddy for Nelly.
“I caddied for Jessica when she was an amateur, all the Opens for her,” Petr said. “We’re following the same path that we did with Jessica.
“My main concern will be Nelly, because Jessica, she’s already a grown player.”
Petr Korda, who won the 1988 Australian Open, said that his victory would be overshadowed if Jessica happened to win the U.S. Women’s Open.
“It would mean more than for me winning a major, to be honest,” he said. “If that happened, I would be probably the proudest dad.
“It doesn’t happen that often, that parents and kids would have major victories.”
“Definitely, the U.S. Women’s Open, for me, has always been the one major that I really, really want to win,” Jessica said.
Petr Korda, his wife, Regina and their third child, Sebastian, 12, will all be there to support the girls.
“I don’t know what to expect,” Petr said. “It’s like in tennis, when the ball comes, you have to react. Am I going to be nervous? Yes. Am I going to enjoy it? Yes, very much.
“We’ll see if there will be smiles on the faces of my daughters Sunday.”
