Nelly Korda says managing frustration, not chasing a third major of the year, is her priority this week at Royal Lytham & St Annes.

Nelly Korda arrives at the AIG Women’s Open having already won two majors this year, but the world No. 1 says her focus for the week is entirely on process rather than outcome.

A quiet birthday, a clear goal

Korda turned 28 the day before her final preview press conference, marking it with nine holes and dinner with friends. Asked whether she felt confident of adding a third major title to her season, she kept her answer simple: “That’s always the goal, right, to contend in major championships. My attitude this week is control what you can control.”

A new club in the bag

That mindset extends to her equipment. Korda has added a 4-iron to her bag for the tournament, in place of the hybrid she has traditionally favoured on courses like this. “I have put a 4-iron into play this week, which I don’t think I’ve ever done in a British because I’ve just never really hit it that good,” she said, adding that she tested the club at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship before committing to it. Her strategy off the tee will be conservative given Royal Lytham’s bunkering: “Not many drivers off the tee. Probably max four or five.”

Learning to embrace links golf

Korda described her relationship with links golf as “a little bit of a love/hate relationship,” shaped by how the bounces run. She pointed to the condensed run of majors this season as part of the challenge: “I feel like sometimes with it being the fifth major and coming off a lot of condensed majors in a packed schedule, I feel like you’re a little bit more on edge.” Reflecting on a difficult 2025 campaign — one where she made cuts consistently but couldn’t convert into wins — she said she has worked to change her response to bad breaks: “I just really hate this attitude. It’s draining having that attitude. I just told myself, I’m not going to have this attitude.” She also pointed to her runner-up finish at St Andrews in 2024 as motivation heading into this week’s links test.

On carrying the game

Asked about Charley Hull’s comments that Korda is a leading figure for women’s golf, she said she has grown more comfortable owning that position: “I think if you asked me two years ago I maybe would’ve lied up here and said I’m fine with it, but I think that I’m at a stage in my career… I’m going to go the direction I want and be very authentic.” On Hull’s five major runner-up finishes, Korda was supportive rather than sympathetic: “You can’t control what others are doing, but she’s doing something right to always be there and be relevant, to be in the hunt.”

What makes links golf worth it

Despite the physical toll — she said her wrist takes a battering on firm ground — Korda embraces the creative demands of the format: “There are so many different shots you can hit when you play links golf, and I think that’s what’s really fun… You’re like, I’m not going to hit the fairway because all the bunkers are in play. I’m going to go in the rough because that’s a better line into the green.”

Korda tees off at the AIG Women’s Open at Royal Lytham & St Annes this week, chasing a third major title of the year after victories at the Chevron Championship and the U.S. Women’s Open. Defending champion Miyu Yamashita is also in the field.

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