Irish trio chasing major dream at US Open as unstoppable Nelly Korda lurks

A trio of Irish major hopefuls tee off at Lancaster Country Club on Thursday as they attempt not only to take on the US Women's Open course but also the seemingly unstoppable Nelly Korda.

Leona Maguire, Stephanie Meadow and amateur Aine Donegan will all be in action in Pennsylvania, but unsurprisingly all eyes will be on Korda, initially at least anyway.

Korda is a massive favourite to secure her third major title after winning six of her last seven events.

The world number one has beaten a combined total of 883 players in that stretch, losing to just six by finishing seventh in the Cognizant Founders Cup and is 74 under par for her six strokeplay tournaments.

Korda’s dominant run includes her second major victory in the Chevron Championship but she is expecting a tough test, with the course revised and lengthened to a par-70 of 6,583 yards since it last hosted the US Open in 2015.

"It’s a beast of a golf course," said Korda, who was not in the field nine years ago.

"Off the tee, if you don’t hit it into the fairways, it sinks down into the rough. These greens are small and very, very undulated.

"It’s going to test every aspect of just your golf game and even your mental game because it’s a major championship.

"You can get ahead of yourself, get lost in the moment. If you make a couple of mistakes here and there, sometimes it can get away from you, but it’s going to test every aspect of your game out there this week."

Another American, Lexi Thompson, will also be in the spotlight after surprisingly announcing her retirement earlier this week with the 29-year-old set to call time at the end of the season.

This tournament holds a special place in her heart as, back in 2007, she became the then youngest player to qualify, teeing it