Tag: Nelly Korda

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Panorama

“Rock what you got”: Nelly Korda swaps the golf course for a bikini

Bikinis instead of birdies: Nelly Korda at the swimsuit shoot (Photos: l. Instagram @golf_com | r. Getty)
Bikinis instead of birdies: Nelly Korda at the swimsuit shoot (Photos: l. Instagram @golf_com | r. Getty)

Currently, Nelly Korda is dominating the world of golf like few before her. With seven LPGA titles in 2024 alone—including the Chevron Championship—five consecutive wins, and the prestigious “Rolex Player of the Year” award, it has been a year to remember. But now, the 25-year-old is proving she can shine beyond the golf course as well: For the 2025 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, Korda was photographed by Ben Horton in Boca Raton, Florida.

Off the Fairway: Nelly Korda Embraces New Challenges

“It was such an exciting shoot,” says Korda. “I think that’s what the shoot is about. I think that’s what life is about, also, sometimes challenging yourself.”

The two-time Olympian posed in a variety of looks at the luxury resort The Boca Raton. Despite the bright lights and model poses, she remained completely true to herself. “I had such a great crew to work with and work alongside,” Korda shares. “It was just so much fun. When people look at these photos, I hope it inspires them to rock what they got.”

A Role Model On and Off the Course

For Korda, the shoot wasn’t just a fun detour into a different world—it’s also part of her mission to inspire others. “Golf has impacted my life in an incredible way outside the sport,” she explains. “I get to inspire the next generation. I see girls that look up to me.”
The world No. 1 remains on course for success—on the fairway and beyond. “I get to travel the world for a living and do what I love,” Korda says. “When you’re passionate about something, it’s never work.”

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Live

Prize Money: How much LPGA Stars earn Compared to the PGA

(Photo: Getty)
(Photo: Getty)

The LPGA Tour made history in 2024: Jeeno Thitikul became the top earner with annual earnings of over 6 million US dollars. Her victory at the CME Group Tour Championship, which was worth USD 4 million, marked a historic moment. Never before had there been such a high individual prize in women’s golf. But while Thitikul topped the tour’s prize money list, Nelly Korda also achieved an impressive record with just under 4.4 million dollars. Nevertheless, a look at the PGA Tour shows how far there is still to go to achieve equality.

The superstar gap: Korda and Scheffler in a prize money comparison

The year 2024 brought exceptional performances for both Scottie Scheffler on the PGA Tour and Nelly Korda. Scheffler triumphed in seven tournaments, including several prestigious events, and finished the season with record prize money of 29.2 million US dollars. His victory at the Players Championship alone earned him $4.5 million – more than Korda’s entire season.

Nelly Korda had a season to rival the best in LPGA history in 2024, becoming only the third player to break the $4 million mark before the season finale. With seven titles, including a major, she recorded earnings of $4.39 million – yet she remains only second in the annual rankings behind Jeeno Thitikul. A further comparison shows the dimensions of her achievement: on the PGA Tour prize money list, Korda would ‘only’ rank 39th despite her outstanding year, 38 places behind the men’s top earner, Scottie Scheffler.

New records, old differences

The history of prize money in women’s golf nevertheless shows progress. What began in the 1950s with sums of a few thousand dollars has developed into millions, especially through events such as the CME Group Tour Championship – the LPGA season finale set a mark with Thitikul’s $4 million victory. Never before has there been such a large prize in women’s golf.

The gap between the tours

On the PGA Tour, however, such a sum has long been standard. The financial explosion triggered by LIV Golf has drastically increased the prize money on the men’s tour and forced the PGA Tour to massively increase its payouts – a development from which players like Scheffler benefit. Since his PGA Tour debut four years ago, Scheffler has already earned 71.79 million US dollars, while the women are still waiting for their big breakthrough.

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Equipment

WITB: Nelly Korda Wins Seventh Tournament on LPGA Tour

Nelly Korda's WITB with TaylorMade. (Photo: Getty)
Nelly Korda's WITB with TaylorMade. (Photo: Getty)

Nelly Korda has once again prevailed and claimed her seventh victory shortly before the end of the season. her sixth win of the season. At the beginning of the year, she won six titles in seven starts on the LPGA Tour, including a major victory at the 2024 Chevron Championship. A look inside the American’s golf bag shows a set of TaylorMade clubs.

WITB: Nelly Korda 2024

(Image: TaylorMade)

Driver: TaylorMade Qi10 Max (10.5°)

Nelly Korda on why she plays the Qi10 Max Driver: “The reason why I picked the Qi10 Max driver is the look of it compared to the other models. When I put it down and look at it I feel like I can hit any shot I want with the subtle blue face and silver topline. When I look down at it I feel like I can aim it really well and I know where the center of the clubface too. For a golfer, if you don’t like the look of the club, you’re never going to be able to it hit. Once I put the Qi10 Max down and teed it up, I feel like I could hit any shot I wanted to.”

(Image: TaylorMade)

Woods: TaylorMade Stealth 2 (15°, 21°)

(Image: TaylorMade)

Irons: TaylorMade P770 (5)

(Image: TaylorMade)

Irons: TaylorMade P7MC (6-PW)

(Image: TaylorMade)

Wedges: TaylorMade Milled Grind 4 (50°,54°,60°)

Putter: TaylorMade Spider Tour X L-Neck

(Image: TaylorMade)

Ball: TaylorMade TP5x

“Nelly was looking to bring the spin down, especially on her driver, so we did some testing in September,” said TaylorMade Senior Tour Manager Ressa. “We saw the benefits of TP5x in her driver and irons bringing the spin down a couple hundred RPMs. Then, around the greens, her launch on chips was a little bit lower and she generated more spin around the greens with TP5x than TP5. She produced a lot more check in a preferred trajectory coming off of the TP5x versus the TP5. She’s been happy with the ball ever since.” 

Text created with Quotes from TaylorMade Golf.

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Panorama

Nelly Korda as Swimsuit Model: First Photos for the Swimsuit Issue 2025

Nelly Korda at the Kroger Queen City Championship in September 2024 (Photo: Getty)
Nelly Korda at the Kroger Queen City Championship in September 2024 (Photo: Getty)

Last weekend, Sports Illustrated announced that world number one golfer Nelly Korda will appear in the 2025 Swimsuit Issue. The 26-year-old is the first athlete confirmed for this year’s issue and the first LPGA player to appear in the Swimsuit Issue since Natalie Gulbis in 2012. The first photos from the shoot were released on Thursday and show Korda in a confident and stylish look – a fitting presentation for the six-time LPGA winner of the 2024 season.

Nelly Korda shines with a confident look

The published photos of the shoot, which Sports Illustrated shared on Instagram, showcase Korda in style. Further insights have now been published on the Sports Illustrated website, providing a look behind the scenes of the shoot.

A year full of highlights

The Swimsuit Issue announcement is another highlight in Korda’s year of athletic and public success. After winning six tournaments this season, including the first LPGA Major of the year, the Chevron Championship in April, she recently secured the LPGA’s Rolex Player of the Year award. However, she missed the tour’s Asian swing due to a minor neck injury, but was recently cleared to return to practice. Korda is expected to compete in the Annika Invitational at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Florida, from November 14-17. It will be her first start since tying for 5th place at the Kroger Queen City Championship in September.

With the shoot for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, Korda is also expanding her presence off the golf course. Back in May, she caused a attention at the Met Gala in New York when she became the first LPGA player to take part in this exclusive event. She is thus following in the footsteps of golfing legends such as Tiger Woods, who had previously attended the gala.

Categories
LPGA Tour

Nelly Korda: Player of the Year and Soon in Swimwear

Nelly Korda was named LPGA Tour player of the year 2024. (Credit: Getty)
Nelly Korda was named LPGA Tour player of the year 2024. (Credit: Getty)

Happy ending: Nelly Korda’s 2024 season ends with two major honours. Firstly, the 26-year-old was voted Player of the Year on the LPGA Tour after six victories. Secondly, and this is a very special honour, the world number one is part of the line-up of stars and models for the upcoming issue of ‘Sports Illustrated Swimsuit’. The special edition of the sports magazine is by no means just a particularly nicely presented swimwear catalogue: The appointment for ‘SI Swimsuit’, which already has almost iconic status, is tantamount to an accolade in terms of stardom. Sports stars such as Steffi Graf (1997), Serena Williams (2003), Lindsey Vonn (2010) and Simone Biles (2017) have all been photographed for the special edition. Nelly Korda is the first female golfer to appear in the magazine.


Written by Michael Basche

Categories
LPGA Tour

Nelly Korda Suffers Practice Injury

Nelly Korda has suffered a minor injury in practice. (Image: Getty)
Nelly Korda has suffered a minor injury in practice. (Image: Getty)

World number one Nelly Korda has suffered a minor neck injury in training. The 26-year-old announced this in a tweet. In it, she also informed her fans that she would not be able to compete in the LPGA tournaments in Korea and Malaysia.

Korda was sad about the situation, but also grateful for the support: “I’m disappointed to miss these events and am especially sorry to my fans who were looking forward to seeing me play.[…]Thank you for all your support—it truly means the world to me!”

Nelly Korda’s return uncertain

Korda has not announced where and when she will return. After the BMW Ladies Championship in Korea and the Maybank Championship in Malaysia, there are two more LPGA events in Asia before returning to the USA for the last two tournaments.

Categories
Ladies Tours

Olympics 2024: Korda, Vu and Zhang form US Olympic Trio

Nelly Korda, Rose Zhang and Lilia Vu represent the US at the Olympics 2024. (Photos: Getty)
Nelly Korda, Rose Zhang and Lilia Vu represent the US at the Olympics 2024. (Photos: Getty)

The golf qualification for the Olympics 2024 is complete. After the men’s qualification phase ended last Monday, the women’s participants have now also been decided. With Ally Ewing missing the Qualification for the first time since golf’s return to the Olympics in 2016, no country will send four players. A look at the female participants from the USA.

Live Scores of Golf at the Olympics 2024

Olympics 2024: Nelly Korda, Lilia Vu and Rose Zhang form Olympic Trio

The bitter failure of Ally Ewing means that the US women’s golf team will be represented three times at the Olympics 2024. The trio consists of world number one Nelly Korda, her direct rival Lilia Vu and ninth-placed Rose Zhang. Korda in particular has dominated this year on the LPGA Tour and has already won six of her ten tournaments. She has won five of them in a row. But Lilia Vu has nothing to hide either: She recently won the Meijer LPGA Classic and followed it up with a shared second place at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. Rose Zhang also secured a win on the LPGA Tour this year at the Cognizant Founders Cup.

The rankings in the world rankings alone make it clear that the USA will also be the big favorites at the Olympics 2024. The fact that only three women’s golfers are competing this year will not change this. What’s more, Nelly Korda has already won the Olympics 2020 in Tokyo and will travel to Paris full of confidence.

All Tee Times for Golf at the Olympics 2024

Ally Ewing narrowly misses out on the Olympics 2024 in Paris

Qualification for the Olympics 2024 was particularly bitter for Ally Ewing. The 31-year-old had to finish the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in fifth place or better to qualify for the competition in Paris later in the summer. Near the end, Ewing was in a tie for second place and qualified, but over the next 90 minutes Lilia Vu, Jin Young Ko and Miyu Yamashita each birdied the 18th to get to four under, pushing Ewing into a tie for fifth place. The American thus narrowly missed out on 15th place in the world rankings, which would have qualified her for the Summer Games.

Olympics 2024: Qualification Process and Criteria

The Olympic Golf Ranking (OGR) determines qualification for the 2024 Paris Olympics, scheduled from August 1-10 at Le Golf National in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines. The top 15 golfers in the OGR automatically qualify, with a maximum of four players per National Olympic Committee (NOC). Beyond the top 15, the highest-ranked players are selected until the 60-player field is complete, ensuring no more than two players per NOC unless they are within the top 15.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is igf.jpg
The qualification criteria for the Olympic Golf Tournament. (Photo: IGF)
Categories
Ladies Tours

Bitten By a Dog: Defending Champion Nelly Korda Cancels Aramco Tournament

Nelly Korda withdraws Aramco London event because of a dog bite. (Image: Getty)
Nelly Korda withdraws Aramco London event because of a dog bite. (Image: Getty)

There is a rather old joke in editorial circles about trainee training, which is the equivalent of an apprenticeship in the trades – yes, even in journalism you should learn and master the craft from the ground up. In any case, the gag goes like this: “Dog bites man” is not newsworthy; “Man bites dog”, THAT is newsworthy. Exceptions prove the rule, of course. Which brings us to Nelly Korda (25), who has had some eventful times on and off the fairways. Cue thrombosis in her arm, six victories, but recently also three missed cuts in a row and rounds in the 80s at the US Women’s Open and the Women’s PGA Championship, the worst scores of her career to date. Now the world number one has cancelled her participation in the Aramco Team Series event on the Ladies European Tour (LET) this week at the Centurion Club in England (3 to 5 July), where the LIV League celebrated its premiere in 2022. Korda would have been the defending champion after last year’s victory over Lokamatador Charley Hull, but: “I was bitten by a dog in Seattle on Saturday.” That is indeed a news story.

Did a fan jinx the dog bite?

The circumstances of the mishap are not known, neither the location or extent of the injury nor the breed of the dog. Although one prankster has already claimed that Korda’s run of bad luck must have something to do with the puppy he adopted six weeks ago and named Nelly:

This cute little puppy is the reason for Nelly Korda’s downfall.
byu/cavemansoup ingolf

“I need time to get treatment and fully recover,” Korda wrote on Instagram. “I apologise to the LET, the sponsors and my fans for my absence. Thank you for your understanding and I look forward to returning to the course soon.” After all, the Amundi Evian Championship (11 to 14 July), the fourth major of the season, is coming up next week.

Categories
LPGA Tour

LPGA Tour: Nelly Korda With a Disastrous Start – Ten On Par 3

Nelly Korda started the second major on the LPGA Tour with ten over par. (Source: Getty)
Nelly Korda started the second major on the LPGA Tour with ten over par. (Source: Getty)

In the world of golf, even the best can have days where nothing goes right. Nelly Korda, a dominant force with six victories in her last seven tournaments, experienced such a day during the opening round of the US Women’s Open at Lancaster Country Club. The golf course, known for its challenging layout, claimed an unlikely victim in Korda, who ended her day with a score of 80, twelve shots behind the leader.

Early Trouble for Nelly Korda

The trouble began early for Nelly Korda. By the time she reached the par-3 12th hole, her day had already taken a turn for the worse. A 25-minute wait on the tee didn’t help her rhythm, as she watched players ahead struggle with the hole. Despite her usual confidence, Korda made a interesting club choice, opting for a 6-iron instead of a 7-iron. Her ball took a hard hop into a back bunker, setting off a disastrous sequence. Attempting to escape from the bunker, Korda’s shot came out hot, rolling past the pin, off the false front, and into the penalty area. What followed was a painful series of shots as she struggled to get her ball back onto the green. Each attempt seemed to make matters worse, culminating in a septuple-bogey 10. The frustration was palpable as Korda walked off the green, her score now at +8.

“Making a 10 on a par 3 will definitely not do you any good at a US Open,” Korda remarked, reflecting on her tumultuous start. “Just a bad day in the office.” Despite the rough beginning, Korda’s resilience shone through as she continued to fight her way through the course. However, the golf gods were not in her favor. Missed putts and difficult lies continued to plague her round. Her first birdie didn’t come until her 12th hole. “I’m human,” she said. “I’m going to have bad days. I played some really solid golf up to this point. Today was just a bad day. That’s all I can say.”

Difficult Course at the US Womens Open

The US Women’s Open at Lancaster Country Club proved to be an unexpectedly grueling challenge for the players. The difficult conditions, highlighted by strong winds and tricky course design, left many of the sport’s top athletes struggling to maintain their composure and their scores. By day’s end, the scoring average had soared to over five above par and the number of bogeys-or-worse had more than tripled the number of birdies.

The 12th hole, a deceptively difficult par-3, was the worst offender. Playing at just 161 yards, the hole was further complicated by a frontward slope and a false front leading to a creek. Only 52 percent of the field managed to hit the green in regulation on Thursday and in total 52 golfballs landed in the pond in front of the green. The strong winds forced players to choose between hitting a longer club, risking the back bunker, or using a shorter club and potentially ending up in the water. This led to significant delays, with backups of up to 30 minutes. Only ten players managed to make birdie on this hole. 32 players carded a bogey and 13 players even had to record a double bogey or higher

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Panorama

Nelly Korda Attends Met Gala 2024 in New York City

Nelly Korda attends the Met Gala 2024. (Photo: Getty)
Nelly Korda attends the Met Gala 2024. (Photo: Getty)

After winning five out of six starts in this years LPGA Tour season, Nelly Korda is undoubtful the best player so far. The Amerikan only left out a win at the season opener Tournament of Champions, but secured four wins and a major championship at the Chevron Championship in April. After a weeks rest she now returns to the course and tees off at the Cognizant Founders Cup right outside of New York City.

The perfect opportunity to attend one of the fashion world most hiped events. With this years invitation to the Met Gala, Nelly Korda joins other sport stars like Serena Williams and Lewis Hamilton.

Nelly Korda at the Met Gala

In a stunning gown with red flowers and vines over a sheer underdress, designed by Oscar de la Renta, Korda delivered a look that fitted the theme of this year’s event perfectly. Under the motto “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion” and the dress code “The Garden of Time”, Korda opted for a literal interpretation.

The design label also dressed celebrities such as Kris and Kylie Jenner as well as actress Pamela Anderson and actress and singer Sabrina Carpenter for this year’s gala.

With stars like Matt Damon, Zendaya or Keith Urban attending, the fundraiser event for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute raises eight-figure sums each year.

Nelly Korda’s Met Outfit

Nelly Korda at the 2024 Met Gala in New York City. (Photo: Getty)