Jessica Korda has given up looking at her suitcase in Scotland this week. On Monday, she wore Megan Khang’s pants (Korda said the significantly shorter Khang rolled up her pants.) On Tuesday, she wore her sister Nelly’s pants. On Wednesday, she borrowed Alison Lee’s.
Korda said: “I would appreciate if anyone who knew anyone at Zurich Airport would put my suitcase on their daily flight to Edinburgh.”
A six-time LPGA winner, Korda opened the AIG Women’s British Open with a 5-under 66 at the iconic Muirfield that included a 20-foot eagle putt on the 17th hole. She wore FootJoy pants on a rainy, windy and sunny Thursday morning after receiving urgent shipments before the first round.
Korda has an AirTag on her bag so she knows where it is, but she can’t get it, a common thread for many travelers to the UK and Europe this summer. Given the cold weather in Scotland, Korda especially misses her accessories.
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“Now wearing a Muirfield hat,” she said. “I’ve got some great partners, it’s tough, you can’t wear that stuff when you’re playing really well and you’re obviously chasing. A lot of my warm stuff. My hand warmers… .My hands are really cold, so I wear gloves all the time. That, I have a lot of heat sticks and vitamins around my waist, not that.”
Last spring, Korda had her best finish of the year in the majors, showing runner-up to Jennifer Kupcho at the Chevron Championship. Back in 2014, she was in the top 10 at AIG, tied for fifth. The 29-year-old American is one shot behind 2019 AIG champion Hinako Shibuno.
Leaderboard: AIG Women’s British Open first round
photo: Muirfield’s best performance at the Women’s British Open
“It was really fun,” Korda said of playing Muirfield for the first time. “It was really stressful. Definitely didn’t want to put the scores together, but it was fun to be able to hit different balls.
“My goal is to go left or right like my actual finish line, which is obviously not something I do every week, so I have a lot of trust in my golf game. It’s almost like every time It’s hard to be willing to fail a single shot, but it’s fun to be able to see the ball do things you don’t normally see.”
Korda’s sister Nelly kicked off the afternoon.
