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sports Wednesday 1 June 2022
Nelly Korda returns to golf not a moment too early

By DOUG FERGUSON it."
AP Golf Writer There was one other mes-
Nelly Korda has a coach sage from Mulligan related
who knows all about top to the belief.
golfers returning from an in- "Even when you're sitting
jury, how patience and be- there, nothing is going to
lief can be just as critical as happen with your golf," he
any physical therapy. said. "It's been fun to watch
Among the messages Ja- her prepare."
mie Mulligan offered the In some respects, the U.S.
23-year-old Korda is that no Women's Open last year
one ever returned from an at Olympic Club is where
injury too late, even if that it all began for Korda. She
means starting on the big- missed the cut and then
gest stage in women's golf. began a run that took over
"I didn't want my first event the LPGA Tour.
back being the U.S. Wom- Korda won the Meijer LPGA
en's Open," Korda said with Classic in Michigan, came
a smile after playing nine down to Atlanta and won
holes at Pine Needles. "I the KPMG Women's PGA
was just more thinking like I to reach No. 1 in the world,
want to be 100%, and that's and then a month later was
all I was thinking. And then posing on the top podium
when I was 100%, I was go- with an Olympic gold med-
ing to set my eyes on what Nelly Korda speaks during a news conferfence after a practice round for the U.S. Women's Open al draped around her neck.
event I could come back golf tournament at the Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club in Southern Pines, Tuesday, May 31, 2022. The No. 1 ranking didn't last
at." Associated Press long at the start of this year
Korda hasn't played since and now belongs to Jin
Feb. 5, when she wrapped Mulligan, honored in Janu- To see Korda deliver such with COVID-19, followed by Young Ko, who beat out
up a three-week start to ary as the PGA Teacher an athletic, graceful swing a blood clot two months Korda for the Race to CME
the LPGA season in Florida & Coach of the Year, has is to be easily impressed. later. Globe title in the final event
with a tie for 15th. About a been running Virginia for 22 What also caught Mulli- "She understood the big last year.
month later, she was gear- years and has a long list of gan's attention was how picture," Mulligan said Tues- The U.S. Women's Open
ing up for the California pupils. she handled an injury that day at Pine Needles in a has no shortage of com-
swing that included the first One was John Cook, kept her away for longer brief chat after working pelling angles this year at
major of the year when she who had to stop midway than Korda would have with big sister Jessica Korda Pine Needles. The prize
felt swelling in her left arm. through the 1989 season wanted. before meeting Nelly on money of $10 million is the
Turns out it was a blood clot because of a broken hand. She was coming off the the range. "She understood richest in women's golf. Mi-
in the subclavian vein, and He rose to No. 3 on the best year in women's golf she needed to take the chelle Wie West is back in
she had surgery in April. PGA Tour money list a few — four LPGA titles, her first right steps. You can't come the area where she won
The rehab was in Califor- years later. More recently major at the Women's PGA back too late. She used her her only major at Pinehurst
nia so she could be close was Patrick Cantlay, whose Championship, a rise to No. full capacity to train in or- No. 2. Annika Sorenstam is
to Mulligan, the CEO of Vir- back injury was so severe it 1 in the world and an Olym- der to mend the right way, playing at age 51, eligible
ginia Country Club in Long kept him out for the better pic gold medal in Tokyo. to keep her composure from winning the U.S. Senior
Beach. part of three years. And then she started 2022 and be comfortable with Women's Open.q

Prescod clocks 9.93 to win 100 meters at Golden Spike

OSTRAVA, Czech Republic was second in 12.65 ahead In the rarely contested
(AP) — British sprinter Reece of American Nia Ali, who women's 300 hurdles,
Prescod became the first clocked 12.69 in third. Femke Bol of the Nether-
European man to break 10 Seven-time Olympic cham- lands clocked the fastest
seconds in the 100 meters pion Allyson Felix finished time ever to win in 36.86,
this season, clocking 9.93 second in the women's 200, more than one second
seconds to win the Golden more than half a second faster than the previous
Spike meet on Tuesday. behind Aminatou Seyni of best of 38.16 set by Zuzana
Prescod showed blister- Niger who won in 22.21. The Hejnova in 2013. The event
ing pace over the last 20 36-year-old Felix is compet- does not have an official
meters to surge ahead of ing in her farewell season, world record. Jerome Blake
Yohan Blake of Jamaica with the American having of Canada won the men's
and clock a personal best announced that she is retir- 200 in a photo finish ahead
time despite running into a ing at the end of the year. of U.S. sprinter Elijah Hall,
headwind. Blake was sec- Ethiopia's Lamecha Girma with both clocking 20.14.
ond in 10.05. dominated the men's 3,000 Kenyan 17-year-old Em-
In the women's 100 meter steeplechase with a world- manuel Wanyonyi won the Netherlands' Femke Bol poses, after winning and setting a new
world record in the 300 meters hurdles race, at the Zlata tretra
hurdles, Olympic cham- leading time of 7 minutes, men's 800 in 1:44.15 while (Golden Spike) Continental Tour athletic meeting, in Ostrava,
pion Jasmine Camacho- 58.68 seconds. Diribe Welteji led an Ethio- Czech Republic, Tuesday, May 31, 2022.
Quinn of Puerto Rico recov- Another Olympic champi- pian sweep of the women's Associated Press
ered from a slow start to on, Gianmarco Tamberi of 1,500 in 3:59.19 ahead of
finish first in 12.56 seconds. Italy, cleared 2.30 meters to Ayal Dagnachew and Net- World champion Anderson the men's javelin with a
Pia Skrzyszowska of Poland win the men's high jump. sanet Desta. Peters of Grenada claimed throw of 87.88 meters.q