Icy temperatures and organizational issues cut short the LPGA season opener, with Nelly Korda claiming her 16th tour win.
The LPGA Tour season-opening Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions was scheduled from January 29 to February 1 at the Lake Nona Golf & Country Club in Orlando, Florida. However, unusually cold and very windy weather in the Sunshine State forced officials to cancel the final round.
Two tournaments ran concurrently on the course. The LPGA season opener was played in a 72-hole stroke play format, while the best qualified amateurs from the pro-am held during the week competed in a parallel event. Each professional player was paired with two celebrities or amateurs, with the prominent players changing each round. The amateurs and celebrities competed under a Modified Stableford system.
Nelly Korda Takes Advantage of Chaos to Secure 16th LPGA Title
Despite posting a strong 64 on Saturday to take a three-shot lead, Nelly Korda benefited from chaotic tournament organization. Eight players had to suspend their third round on Saturday due to cold and strong winds and only finished their rounds Sunday afternoon. Eventually, Korda secured her 16th LPGA Tour title, with Amy Yang finishing three strokes behind in second and Brooke Henderson in third place.
The decision to end the tournament early on Sunday was delayed and drew significant criticism regarding communication and management. The final day began with temperatures around -4°C and wind gusts up to 24 km/h, causing officials to postpone the start multiple times waiting for better conditions. When temperatures only rose to 4°C, officials concluded the LPGA event could not continue – even though warmer weather was predicted later Monday.
According to the LPGA, the cold and strong winds made the balls roll uncontrollably on the greens, making play impossible. Conversely, the amateur event began at 10 a.m. with a nine-hole round.
Confusion Over Different Treatments of Players
Golf journalist Beth Ann Nichols from Golfweek highlighted the situation on social media, noting that journalists waited in the press room since 10 a.m. for updates on why amateurs played more than nine holes while LPGA players awaited final day decisions. After four hours, no new information was provided about the tournament’s continuation.
An official LPGA statement later confirmed the tournament was shortened to 54 holes due to weather forecasts predicting similar conditions the next day, which would have prevented a full 72-hole completion.
Conflicting Views on Playing Conditions
Some disagreed with the decision. Swedish player Annika Sörenstam, competing in the amateur event, said she found the course playable despite the cold, expressing surprise at the cancellation. Former tennis pro Mardy Fish described the greens as feeling like concrete early Sunday morning.
LPGA Chief Business and Operations Officer Ricky Lasky explained the hard ground affected shot trajectories during practice and emphasized that two different competitions took place: one stroke play counting toward CME points and one Modified Stableford. To ensure championship-level competition and fairness, the LPGA ended the event after 54 holes.