On an unusually cold and windy day in Las Vegas, Nelly Korda’s match with Brittany Altomare at the T-Mobile Match Play presented by MGM Rewards had plenty of unexpected elements, too.
Mother Nature made birdies scarce on day one at Shadow Creek Golf Course, where Korda, the No. 1 overall seed, and Altomare, the No. 64 seed, faced each other on the first of three days of round-robin group play. They shared just four birdies between them all day, and Altomare contributed to that total with her lone birdie at the 16th hole of the match. It was that critical birdie that saw her tie Korda and that ultimately decided the result of the duel between the Solheim Cup teammates. The day ended just as it began – in a tie.
“To end up in a tie was a win for me,” Altomare said after the match. “Nelly is a great player. Obviously, world No. 1 and a great person. It was a lot of fun out there. I felt like I got to watch her play, too, and just see where my game is and what I need to improve on.”
Korda got off to an unexpected start with three opening bogeys, which set the tone for the defending champion and gave Altomare an early 1-up advantage. Korda made her first birdie of the day on the par-3, 5th hole to take a 1-up lead but then made a series of bogeys midway through the match to see her 2-up lead with four holes to play cut to just one with an untimely bogey on the 15th hole. Then came Altomare’s long-awaited birdie at the par-5, 16th hole to tie the match.
“On 16, I reached that green in two, and I think those two shots really felt good,” said Altomare about finding momentum. “I was 2 down, so I felt like that was kind of a turning point for me to keep the match going.”
Altomare’s ability to keep pace with the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings No. 1 on Wednesday was made all the more impressive given her lack of reps in recent months. The two-time U.S. Solheim Cup Team member is making just her fourth start since coming back from maternity leave, which saw her miss the entire 2024 season on the LPGA Tour.
Altomare considered returning to competition late last season, but upon realizing that she wasn’t able to carry her driver more than 200 yards, she knew she needed to put in more time and get her game back to a level that would allow her to go toe-to-toe with the likes of someone like Korda. The hard work paid off as she returned to the Tour in February after picking up 30 more yards off the tee.
“I don’t really feel 100 percent golf-wise, but strength-wise, I worked really hard this past year trying to get my strength back, my speed back,” Altomare said about the work she has put in. “Golf-wise, I think I just need rounds and reps to get into a rhythm again.”
Altomare certainly found a rhythm on Wednesday amidst the challenges of Shadow Creek, where she came away with a half point. Altomare and Korda are a part of Group 1, which also includes major champions Ariya Jutanugarn and Jennifer Kupcho, who will compete within their group over the next two days of round-robin group play with the hopes of earning enough points to advance to the weekend’s Round of 16.
“It’s match play, so anything can happen,” Altomare said. “I feel like I’ve had a lot of success in match play, and I love playing this format. I just knew if I just stayed patient and played my game, I might have a chance.”
