After starting out in her customized LeBron James golf shoes, Nelly Korda had to make a change of footwear after just six holes of her first round at the US Women’s Open.
Korda was gifted the Nike shoes by NBA legend James just before the second women’s Major of the year at Riviera County Club – but they didn’t last too long.
Starting on the back nine, Korda wore them for just six holes before changing into her regular Nike golf shoes on the 16th tee box.
The reasoning? Apparently the new LeBrons, a pair of Nike Victory Pro 4 golf shoes featuring Nelly insoles, were just a touch too big for her.
“I felt like I had a little too much room,” Korda said after a disappointing opening round of 73 at Riviera. “It’s honestly kind of, I’ve run into this issue. I had that with the Jordans, too.
“Sometimes when I wear a different color, they just are made a little different, just the spacing is a little different. It’s the exact same shoe. I just wanted to wear these.”
Korda told her trainer on the 14th hole that she needed to change shoes, and by the time she made the switch she’d played her first six holes of the day in one over.
🗣️Nelly Korda explains why she switched back to her normal Nikes on the 6th hole after wearing custom LeBrons to start the round @uswomensopen.”I just felt more comfortable (in my own shoe).” https://t.co/HQgBb8TfIr pic.twitter.com/RYtzqnTaWHJune 4, 2026
She then played the rest of her round in her usual shoes in one over, so when asked if the change in footwear had any effect on her game, she laughed: “No, apparently not.
“I just felt more comfortable in these.”
Korda came into the US Women’s Open as favourite after winning the opening Major of the season at the Chevron Championship.
But she ended round one a full seven shots behind early leader Jennifer Kupcho, who shot 66, with Korda admitting her game just wasn’t quite right.
“It wasn’t a great day,” said Korda. “I hit it really good Monday through Wednesday, so I have honestly no idea where this came from.
“I’ve just been feeling really stuck in my swing and not being able to release it. I was sending it out right in Cincinnati too. I put in a lot of hours on the range, and I can’t seem to really figure it out.”
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