Nelly_Korda

Nelly Korda

Nelly Korda

American professional golfer (born 1998)

Nelly Korda (born July 28, 1998) is an American professional golfer who plays on the LPGA Tour, where she has won 13 times and reached number one in the Women's World Golf Rankings. Korda won the Olympic gold medal at the women's individual golf event at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.[3] She represented the United States at the 2019 Solheim Cup, 2021 Solheim Cup and 2023 Solheim Cup.

Quick Facts Personal information, Born ...

Amateur career

Korda was a member of the 2015 U.S. Junior Solheim Cup. As an amateur, she won the 2015 Harder Hall Invitational, and the 2015 PING Invitational, and was a 2015 AJGA Rolex Junior All-American. She also made the cut at the 2013 U.S. Women's Open,[4] one month before her 15th birthday.

Professional career

Korda began her pro career in 2016 on the Symetra Tour, where she won her first pro event at the Sioux Falls GreatLIFE Challenge after shooting rounds of 68-67-69-66 for a 3 stroke victory over Wichanee Meechai. She ended the season 9th on the money list, thus earning her LPGA Tour card for 2017.[5]

2018: First LPGA win

On October 28, 2018, Korda won the Swinging Skirts LPGA Taiwan Championship in Taoyuan, Taiwan for her first LPGA Tour title.[6] This win made her and her sister Jessica Korda the third pair of sisters to win in LPGA history, joining the Jutanugarn sisters, Moriya Jutanugarn and Ariya Jutanugarn, along with Charlotta and Annika Sörenstam.[7][8]

2019−2020: Continued success

After settling for runner-up at the CME Group Tour Championship and solo 3rd at the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions, Korda won the ISPS Handa Women's Australian Open on February 17, 2019.[9] In doing so, she completed a "Family Slam" in Australia. Her father, Petr, won the 1998 Australian Open singles in tennis. Her older sister, Jessica Korda, won the Women's Australian Open in 2012 and her younger brother, Sebastian, won the 2018 Australian Open junior boys in tennis.[10] The Australian Open win represented Korda's 4th top-5 finish in her most recent 5 LPGA starts.[9] Thanks to this victory, Korda broke into the top 10 for the first time in the February 18, 2019 release of the Women's World Golf Rankings, moving up to 9th from 16th the week before, and becoming the second highest ranked American in the world, surpassed only by 5th ranked Lexi Thompson.[11]

On September 22, 2019, Korda shot a 4-under-par 67 in blustery conditions and won the Lacoste Ladies Open de France by eight shots.[12] On November 3, 2019, Korda defended her title at the Taiwan Swinging Skirts LPGA in a playoff.

2021: Breakout year: 4 wins, first major win, Olympic gold, #1 world rank

On February 28, 2021, Korda won the Gainbridge LPGA at Lake Nona Golf and Country Club in Orlando, Florida.[13]

On June 20, 2021, Korda won the Meijer LPGA Classic in Grand Rapids, Michigan becoming the first two-time winner on the LPGA during the 2021 season. She shot a career best 62 on Saturday to take a lead into the final round.[14]

On June 27, 2021, Korda won her first major at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship at the Atlanta Athletic Club. In the final round, Korda shot a 4-under 68 and won by three strokes over Lizette Salas. With the win, Korda became the number one player in the world.[15][16]

On August 5, in round 2 of the Women's Golf at the Summer Olympics in Japan, Korda stood on the 18th tee at −11 for her round. A birdie on the 18th would have been a round of 59 but she double bogeyed the hole for a 62. On August 7, Korda won the gold medal. She became the second woman from the U.S. to win the gold, and the first since Margaret Abbott in the 1900 Olympic Games.[3]

After Ko Jin-young won the BMW Ladies Championship on October 24, Korda fell to No. 2 in the Women's World Golf Rankings, by a narrow margin of 9.36 to 9.34 average points per event played.[17] She regained the No. 1 spot on November 8, 2021, by a fraction of an average point per event played (9.032 to 9.028),[18] despite neither player playing tournaments between those ranking dates, because the calculations are over a two-year rolling average.[19]

In November, Korda won the Pelican Women's Championship in Belleair, Florida. Korda shot a final round 69 and won in a playoff over Lexi Thompson, Lydia Ko and Kim Sei-young. This was her fourth LPGA victory of 2021.[20] She won despite a triple bogey seven on the par-4 17th hole, dropping her from co-leading at −19, to fourth-place at −16, two shots behind Thompson.[21] Recovering on the 18th with a birdie that tied her with her playing partner, and then-leader Lexi Thompson, who then bogeyed the 18th, requiring the four-way playoff starting on the 18th hole. Korda birdied it for the win, tying her with Ko Jin-young with four wins in 2021. Ko Jin-young finished with a 66, tying for sixth place. Korda became the first American to win four times in an LPGA Tour season since Stacy Lewis in 2012.[22]

She had the lowest scoring average on tour (68.774) in her 62 rounds, beating the money list winner Ko Jin-young (68.886) in her 67 rounds,[23] although she finished second on the money list ($2,382,198) to Ko ($3,502,161).[24] However, Lydia Ko won the Vare Trophy despite finishing third on the scoring average list because neither Korda nor Ko Jin-young met the 70 round minimum.[25]

Despite a fifth-place tie in the CME Group Tour Championship to #2 world-ranked Ko Jin-young, Korda held onto her #1 spot with a 10.07 average points Ko's 9.94 in the Rolex Rankings, as of November 22.[26]

2022: Blood clot, loss of world #1 ranking, re-gains #1 world ranking

On January 3, 2022, Korda surpassed Stacy Lewis record for consecutive weeks as number one in the Women's World Golf Rankings for an American.[26] Three weeks later at the Gainbridge LPGA at Boca Rio tournament, she tied for 20th place and lost the number one spot after 29 consecutive weeks at the top.[27] She finished T-15, T-20, and T-4 in her first three starts for 2022. On March 13, she announced that she had a blood clot in her arm, so she would not compete in the Chevron Championship, the year's first major.[28] She also did not enter the JTBC Classic she originally was scheduled to compete, while resting at home getting treatment. Korda returned to play at the U.S. Women's Open, finishing in the top ten.

In November, Korda successfully defended her title at the Pelican Women's Championship, her first win in 2022, and returned her to the top of the world ranking.[29] She did not hold the position for long as Lydia Ko regained the number one spot two weeks later.[30]

2023

In January, Korda signed a deal with TaylorMade and Nike.[31][32] Later in the year, Korda signed with Delta Air Lines.[33] She also joined fellow golfer Tony Finau on the T-Mobile US sponsored players list [34][35]

With her fourth-place finish at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions on January 19, she earned $99,457 to jump three places from 40th to 37th on the career money list to $7,638,934 passing sister Jessica, ranked 39th at $7,543,454 who did not play in the tournament; Nelly had played 110 tournaments to Jessica's 227.[36] After Korda finished third at the Chevron Championship on April 23, she regained the No. 1 world ranking.[37] In May, she announced that she would miss several tournaments because of pain in her back.[38] On July 16, she won the Aramco Team Series at the Centurion Club near London; it was her 13th tournament victory and her third on the Ladies European Tour.[39]

2024: Return to #1, 5 consecutive starting wins, second major title

Korda won her ninth LPGA Tour event on January 28, in her Bradenton hometown at the LPGA Drive On Championship. Trailing by three strokes after the 16th hole in the final round, Korda hit an eagle-birdie finish to force a playoff with Lydia Ko. She won on the second extra hole with a 4-foot par putt on the par-4 18th after Ko's 5-footer caught the lip and spun out. In the final round, Korda shot a two-over 73, while Ko shot a two-under 69 to tie at 273 (−11), setting up the playoff. Korda won for the first time, leading after each round for the first time. Her win denied Ko her 21st LPGA win and 27th-point to guarantee entry into the LPGA Hall of Fame.[40] She then won three straight events in March and April: Fir Hills Seri Pak Championship (moving back to the top of the Women's World Golf Rankings),[41] Ford Championship,[42] and T-Mobile Match Play. Her four straight wins in four starts made her the first player to do so since Lorena Ochoa in 2008.[43]

She continued her incredible start to the year with a fifth consecutive victory, and her second major title, at the 2024 Chevron Championship, scoring a 275 (−13, 68-69-69-69) beating Sweden's Maja Stark by two strokes. Only Annika Sörenstam (2004–2005) and Nancy Lopez (1978) have won five consecutive starts before Korda became the third LPGA player to achieve the feat.[44]

She withdrew from the next tournament, the JM Eagle LA Championship, on Monday April 22, the day after her fifth consecutive victory[45], wanting to rest up and not be worn out mentally for all that lies ahead on her schedule of the remaining 23 official events, plus the golf tournaments at the Olympic Games on August 1-10 and The Solheim Cup in September.[46]

Personal life

Korda is the daughter of retired Czech professional tennis players Petr Korda and Regina Rajchrtová.[47] Her father is a tennis grand slam champion who won the 1998 Australian Open crown. Her younger brother, Sebastian, won the 2018 Australian Open tennis title in the boys' division. Her older sister Jessica Korda also plays on the LPGA Tour.

In 2021, Korda made the Forbes '30 under 30 list' for earners under the age of 30, placed 23.[48]

Professional wins (18)

LPGA Tour wins (13)

More information Legend ...
More information No., Date ...

LPGA Tour playoff record (4–2)

More information No., Year ...

Ladies European Tour (3)

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Symetra Tour wins (1)

More information No., Date ...

Other wins (1)

More information No., Date ...

Major championships

Wins (2)

More information Year, Championship ...

Results timeline

Results not in chronological order.

More information Tournament ...
  Win
  Top 10
  Did not play

CUT = missed the half-way cut
WD = withdrew
NT = no tournament
T = tied

Summary

More information Tournament, Wins ...
  • Most consecutive cuts made – 10 (twice)
  • Longest streak of top-10s – 1 (11 times)

LPGA Tour career summary

More information Year, Tournaments played ...

^ Official as of April 21, 2024[49][50][51]
*Includes matchplay and other tournaments without a cut.

World ranking

Position in Women's World Golf Rankings at the end of each calendar year.

More information Year, World ranking ...

^ As of April 22, 2024

U.S. national team appearances

Amateur

Professional

Solheim Cup record

More information Year, Total matches ...

See also


References

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