Nelly Korda Struggles, Jennifer Kupcho impresses at 2026 U.S. Women's Open

With one round in the books at the 2026 U.S. Women’s Open, many of the questions surrounding the women’s first crack at Riviera Country Club were answered. Jennifer Kupcho expertly navigated her way around the course for a 5-under 66 and a one-shot lead over Sei Young Kim. Others — like the top three players in the world Nelly Korda (2 over), Jeeno Thitikul (2 over), and Hyo Joo Kim (3 over) — didn’t fare as well.

Here are three takeaways from day one:

Not That Nelly

Two shots into the championship and the warning signs were there that Nelly Korda might not have her best stuff. From 84 yards out in the middle of the 10th fairway, Korda flew her approach far too close to the back pin where it bounded past the hole and into the left bunker. Her short game cleaned up the mess, but the ensuing holes were just as scrapey. The right miss that dogged her in Cincinnati, her last start before this week, showed up once again. She flared her driver into the right rough on the 12th, 13th, 18th, second, and third holes. Being out of position off the tee at Riviera makes an already demanding test even harder. As Korda said after her round, “I 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.”

Her 2-over 73 makes the margin for error even slimmer the rest of the week. She’ll have to figure out how to hit more fairways and give herself better looks at birdie. If she doesn’t, this week is going to turn into another missed opportunity at the major she wants the most.

Kupcho in the Top Spot

First round leader Jennifer Kupcho has been slowly finding her form this season. Through March, she had just one finish inside the top 40. Since then, it’s been a story of steady improvement with four top-15 finishes in her last five starts. She rode that momentum on Thursday to her first-ever round in the 60s in the U.S. Women’s Open.

The top of the leaderboard is uncharted territory for Kupcho after three consecutive missed cuts at this event, something that was on her mind coming into this week. “It kind of takes a little bit of a weight off my chest. Barring something crazy doesn't happen tomorrow, I'll be playing on the weekend.” Despite hitting only nine fairways, she made up for it by gaining over four shots on the field in SG: Approach. A visit to Riviera earlier this year was a change for Kupcho, who hasn’t scouted U.S. Women’s Open courses in the past. It’s a strategy that her closest competitor, Sei Young Kim, also followed. Kim took time during her off week to play the course last weekend. With most of the field having never set foot on Riviera, the additional reps are paying off.

Decisions, Decisions

With a game much more suited to the scale of Riviera than their male counterparts, players will face decisions and strategy choices all week long. Course management will be integral for success. That started with the first shot of the championship for players teeing off on the 10th. The back pin took driver off the table for most players, simplifying the club selection and making it a two-shot hole. It still played anything but straightforward.

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I watched the first six groups come through in the morning and saw all sorts of outcomes. Megha Ganne, with a local caddie on her bag, played out to the left side of the fairway for a better angle. Lottie Woad misjudged her rollout and had one of the hardest shots in golf, an 80-yard wedge out of the bunker. Ruoning Yin went too far to the left side and trickled into the rough. Maja Stark was the only player I saw mimic PGA Tour players and hit driver up to the left side of the green, but the best execution I saw came from Sei Young Kim. From the left side of the fairway, she threaded the needle, carrying her approach just over the right bunker where it settled to kick-in range. Birdies were out there, but so were big numbers. The 10th tied for the most double bogeys (seven) of any hole on Thursday. This is exactly what makes it so captivating, and it will be even more intriguing this weekend when the tee gets moved up and players have more options to consider.