'I Wonder How Many Groups Are Going To Be On The Tee Box?' - Nelly Korda Fears Slow Play Issues At The US Women's Open

Nelly Korda starts the US Women's Open as one of the favorites, with the American looking to improve on her best finish of eighth place in 2022.

Being played at Erin Hills, many players have claimed that the course will test every area of their game and, in terms of Korda, it's no different, with the 26-year-old noting the par 3 ninth hole as an area where the championship could be won-or-lost.

Speaking in her press conference on Tuesday, the two-time Major winner was asked about the 139-yard par 3, which has been dubbed the 'shortest par 5 in Wisconsin.'

"It's a diabolical green for sure, especially if the wind gets up. It's going to be a very interesting test," explained Korda, who went on to add "I wonder how many groups are going to be on the tee box?

"That's the US Open. It's supposed to test every part of your game. You're supposed to have holes like that. It's a really cool hole because obviously on the green you look at it and you don't see how sloped the green is.

"If you look at it just from the tee box, you see it's kind of like a shorter par-3, but it's very, very demanding in every aspect."

Back at the 2017 US Open, the par 3 ninth caused havoc on the final day, as only four birdies were made from 68 players. What's more, with 20 bogeys, three doubles and one triple on Sunday, it played at a total of 3.368, making it the second hardest hole on the course.

The reason for its difficulty is down to the elevated tee box, several bunkers and the large, deep putting surface that features numerous slopes and undulations. Even if players find the green, they aren't guaranteed a two-putt.

As Korda mentioned, the tough nature of the hole could bring in the possibility of a wait on the tee box, something the World No.1 is all too familiar with after last year's US Women's Open.

Being held at Lancaster Country Club, Korda revealed after her round that her group was required to wait almost half an hour on the extremely difficult par 3 12th.

Following the wait, Korda made 10 on the 161-yard hole, as she missed the cut the following day.