My niece wants to break 80. So I asked Nelly Korda for one tip

NAPLES, Fla. – Sorry, Mason. I was trying to help.

If I embarrassed you in front of Nelly Korda, I'm sorry.

Wait, what? Wild, right? I will try to explain. Mason is my 16-year-old nephew, and, in his uncle's estimation, a true golf hall of famer. But first he has to break 80 every time.

Korda, yes, you know. Seven-time winner this year on the LPGA. Fifteen times winner in total. By all accounts, he is good at golf. He's also at this week's CME Group Tour Championship, the LPGA's season-ending event.

So do I.

So I thought: Why not? I asked Korda and other LPGA pros this:

My 16 year old is looking to break 80. He's shooting in the mid 80s high now. What advice would you give him?

It was in vain. But the benefit, I think, was threefold. The players talk. Mason gets a tip. Maybe you do too.

Except now Mason is worried that Korda thinks he's not that great. Anything else. The child will live.

Maybe break 80 every time, too.

The full exchange is below.

What advice would you give my nephew on his journey to finish the 80's?

Nelly Korda

Nelly, kind of an easy question. My 16 year old nephew is trying to break 80 for the first time. He shoots in the mid 80s, high 80s. What advice would you give him?

“One tip I would give him? Well, there are two,” said Korda. “Many people I see who are ams have never had a stick on the ground. If you don't know where you're headed, chances are you won't know where you're headed on the golf course.

“The second plan, I see a lot of people standing on the field just hitting golf balls or practicing a lot instead of going out and watching.

“At the end of the day, golf is a creative game and you will never have your A game. One day the wind will be from the left and another day it will be from the right. The hole will play completely different. It's all about creativity.

“So getting out and playing a lot.”

Lexi Thompson

My 16 year old nephew is trying to break 80 for the first time and is shooting in the mid 80s right now. What quick tip would you give him?

“That I will give him to break 80?” Lexi Thompson asked. “How long has he been playing?”

It has been playing for four years.

“Oh, that's very good,” she said. “He walks in a way. I always say the biggest tip that helps me the most when I go out to practice is to always have a goal in mind. Always have something you want to improve on. It can be the smallest things or the biggest of all, the mental side. As we know, golf is such a mental game. It could be working on the mental side and seeing the gun.

“So going out there with purpose. You can just go out on the golf course and pretend I'm going to hit balls today or play. Have a goal, something you want to improve on. That way, you don't waste time and it's always a productive practice.

“Even if you try a little, have a goal, commit yourself, and strive to be better.”

Lydia Ko

This is easy. It is based on instructions. My nephew is trying to break 80 for the first time. He shoots in the mid 80s, high 80s. What advice would you give him?

“One tip. I'd say try and nail down what the consistent reason is — I think if you're shooting in the high 80s or high 70s, it's not that you're always making bogey, but it's like one hole where you've made two,” Lydia Ko. said. “And most of the time those mistakes are repeated. And for me, I play and I have – the same reason why I make those mistakes. Try and focus on what that prime is and then you will be able to work on that and I think that fixes itself a little bit unless you try to tear everything down and try to make everything better.”

Ally Ewing

My 16 year old nephew is trying to break 80 for the first time. What advice would you give him?

“My tip would be to go to the tee box that makes that a reality,” said Ally Ewing, “and then when you break 80 on that tee box, put the box back.” So I would go up to a tee – like maybe some people would say that's wrong. I think to score goals you have to learn to score.

“You know, shooting 61 against the top players is still very difficult. You still have to play your golf ball. I would encourage him to go to the box where he feels like he can get that and to back off a little bit and continue to challenge himself that way.”

Ruoning Yin

My 16 year old nephew is trying to break 80 for the first time. What advice would you give him?

“Breaking 80? Practice your short game and putting,” said Ruoning Yin, “because that's what you spend most of your time on the golf course. Let's say a 62-stroke course. You'll probably spend half on putting.

“If you want to break 80, I would say spend time on your putting.”

Angel Yin

One golf question I had. So my 16 year old nephew is trying to break 80 and get on his high school team next year. What advice would you give him?

“Hit the ball, not the ball. It's easy,” said Angel Yin. “I think a lot of people try to hit in football because it's the only game you play where the ball is really stationary and you have to follow it. In football they throw you; tennis, the ball comes to you — you react. When this one, you have to, I don't know, follow the ball. It's a little different. You have to make the ball go.”

Jenno Thitikul

(Editor's note: Jeeno Thitikul won this year's Aon Risk-Reward Challenge – so I asked him the risk-reward question.)

If you were talking to a high handicapper, how would you advise him to take risks or play it safe?

“Well, it's difficult for me,” said Thitikul. “I know golf is very difficult. It's really like football – there is football and the club is so big. I think sometimes it takes confidence. You need to be confident and not be afraid to make a mistake if you are going to take a risk. I think that's the big key, when you have a really challenging hole, a really dangerous hole, water or something you have to handle. I think confidence is the most important thing.”