Photo: Mike Ehrmann/Getty
Nelly Kordawas working against the elements on Wednesday during the first round of the women’s golf tournament at the Tokyo Olympics.
The world’s No. 1 women’s golfer, 23, admitted to feeling “a little lightheaded” in the intense weather, with the heat index hitting 111-degrees.
“I think the mental aspect is probably the hardest just because you have to keep yourself hydrated and you kind of lose it a little out there,” she said,according toUSA Today.
“When I was teeing up some balls, I definitely felt a little lightheaded,” Korda continued. “But kept myself in it and made sure I drank a lot of electrolytes, too.”
“I kinda sprayed some shots out to the right of my last two holes with my irons, but you’re gonna have that,” Korda said as she prepares for round 2. “You’re gonna lose a little bit of concentration. But I’m gonna go to the range after I cool off inside for a bit. And then try and work on it.”
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Nelly’s sister and fellow Team USA memberJessica Korda, 28, also felt the heat, as she shot even par for the day.
“It was definitely, probably the hottest I’ve been on a golf course and that’s saying a lot,” she said. “I’ve won in Thailand and I’ve won in Malaysia. This is a whole ‘nother beast of heat. When you feel it radiating inside the cups, you know it’s pretty hot out there. So just trying to stay present was the goal today.”
Jessica, who’s making her Olympic debut along with Nelly, previously told PEOPLE in February that they are sisters first and competitors second,supporting each other on and off the course.
“Everyone always tries to pit us against each other, and we always disappoint everyone when we say that we are each other’s biggest supporters,” Jessica said. “If the other one is struggling with something, the other one’s always there to help. We basically just help each other out as much as we can. … At the end of the day, obviously we want to beat each other. But in the grand scheme of things, we also want to beat the 140 or whatever girls in the field.”
Team USA’s Danielle Kang, 28, hit a double bogey on the par-4 9th during the first round on Wednesday, recovering with birdies on the 14th and 17th holes.
“I play golf every day,” she said. “So it’s another round of golf tomorrow.”
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“I came into the day having a sore throat, not feeling great,” Thompson said. “And then dealing with my caddie just not being able to finish and it’s tough. I was so worried about him. It’s so hot out there. I’m from Florida and I’m still not used to that bad of heat.”
To learn more about all the Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls, visitTeamUSA.org. Watch the Tokyo Olympics beginning July 23rd and the Tokyo Paralympics beginning August 24th on NBC.
source: people.com
