Nelly Korda changes shoes mid-round as world number one battles early U.S. Women's Open struggles

Nelly Korda's opening round at the U.S. Women's Open took an unusual turn on Thursday when the world number one changed her golf shoes during play after battling wayward drives at Riviera Country Club.

Korda, who opened with a sluggish two-over-par 73 at the second major of the season, switched out of her shoes four holes in after feeling uncomfortable in the pair she began the day with — a gift from NBA superstar LeBron James.

The three-time major champion began on the 10th hole and had been fighting a consistent miss to the right off the tee.

Soon after a costly mistake from a bunker at the par-4 13th, Korda opted for a change. 

Her trainer, Kim Baughman, retrieved another pair from Korda's locker and delivered them to the 16th tee.

"I felt like I had a little too much room," Korda told ESPN after the round. 

"It's honestly, I've kind of run into this issue. I had that with the Jordans, too. Sometimes when I wear a different color, they just are made a little different, so the spacing is a little different. It's the exact same shoe. I just wanted to wear these."

The footwear change came during a frustrating opening day at the U.S. Women's Open for Korda, who arrived at Riviera as a clear tournament favourite and the most in-form player in the world. 

Prior to the tournament getting underway, Korda shocked reporters by admitting she had done little homework on the famed golf course, which annually hosts Tiger Woods' Genesis Invitational. 

Riviera will also be the host course for the 2028 Olympic Golf Tournament. 

Despite leading the LPGA in strokes gained off the tee this season, the 27-year-old never looked comfortable with her TaylorMade Qi4D driver in hand and spent much of the day scrambling to limit the damage.

"Just honestly just hit it really poorly off the tee," said Korda. 

"Found myself in a lot of trouble on the wrong sides of a lot of these pins. I just felt like I was kind of just grinding to make safe pars.

"It wasn't a great day. I hit it really good Monday through Wednesday, so I have honestly no idea where this came from. So I'm going to go to the range."

Korda headed directly to the practice area after signing her card, still searching for answers after an uncharacteristically erratic display.

The American admitted she has been fighting similar swing issues in recent weeks. 

At last month's Kroger Queen City Championship, where she finished tied eighth, Korda also struggled with shots leaking to the right.

"I put in a lot of hours on the range," she said, "and I can't seem to really figure it out."

Korda entered the U.S. Women's Open in some of the form of her life off the back of three victories, including a third career major title at the Chevron Championship in April. 

However, after the first round at Riviera, she finds herself seven shots off the early pace and with work to do to get back into the tournament.

Korda is seeking a first career win at the U.S. Women's Open. 

At the top of the leaderboard, Korda's compatriot Jennifer Kupcho leads the way on five-under par at the time of publication.

Keep up to speed with the latest U.S. Women's Open scores here.