Nelly Korda nearly yanked 3-footer for U.S. Open glory. Here’s what happened

As Nelly Korda stared down a 9-foot-2-inch putt on the 71st hole of the U.S. Women’s Open at Riviera on Sunday, she knew exactly what was at stake: the grandest title in the women’s game and one that had eluded her in 11 previous attempts. Hole the putt for a birdie 4 and Korda would take a one-shot lead into the home hole; miss and . . . well, she’d need to make par on Riv’s brutish par-4 18th just for a spot in a playoff. “I knew that I needed to make it,” Korda said later.

She also knew the putt would move quickly and hard from left to right. Leaning on a tactic she’d been employing all week, Korda picked an immediate target between her ball and the hole, locked in on that spot and coolly jarred the birdie — moving her to two under for her round and eight under for the tournament, one clear of clubhouse co-leaders Charley Hull and Gaby Lopez. Later, in her winner’s press conference, Korda said, “That putt is the reason why I’m here.”

Really, though, every one of Korda’s other 68 shots on Sunday mattered just as much, including all four of the swipes that came after her clutch 4 at 17: her smashed tee shot on 18 that left her just 145 yards into the green; her smooth approach to the fat of the green that left her 35 feet from glory; and, from there, her solid lag putt that all but sealed the deal when it petered out just 2 feet 10 inches from the hole. Thirty-four inches. A kick-in. A formality. A gimme, if only there were such a thing in the professional game.