South Korean star Hyo Joo Kim defends her title at the Ford Championship, edging Lilia Vu in an exciting playoff at Whirlwind Golf Club.
Tag: Nelly Korda
The world’s elite women golfers deliver compelling action in the closing round of the Fortinet Founders Cup on the LPGA Tour.
Nelly Korda carded a seven-under 65 in Round 2 to take the outright lead at the Ford Championship presented by Wild Horse Pass on the LPGA Tour, sitting two shots clear of the field heading into the weekend.
Nelly Korda erases five-shot deficit in remarkable 10-hole stretch to claim share of lead at the LPGA event.
Just a few weeks ago, Korda seemed nearly unbeatable. Four consecutive victories at the start of the 2025 season left little doubt that this year could be hers. But following an early exit at the Mizuho Americas Open and a missed opportunity at the U.S. Women’s Open in Erin Hills, the American superstar appears to have lost some momentum. Now, the third Major of the year awaits — and Korda is not at full strength.
On Tuesday, she had to skip the traditional Champions Dinner due to an acute neck cramp. “I’ve been playing in constant pain,” she told the media. While regular physical therapy is helping, she admitted she’s still not completely pain-free.
Fighting despite injury: Korda remains a top candidate
Despite her physical issues, Korda remains one of the favorites. With 15 LPGA Tour titles, an Olympic gold medal, and a Major win at the PGA Championship in 2021, the 26-year-old brings both talent and experience to the field. While she hasn’t won in 2025 yet, she has recorded four Top 10 finishes in nine starts, and she continues to hold the No. 1 spot in the world rankings.
“It just makes you hungrier,” Korda said of her Open heartache. “For me, I hate making mistakes; obviously I love winning. You don’t get to win often, but there’s nothing like it being in contention, so I think that’s kind of what makes me hungrier to come back and to work harder and put myself into that position.”
Reflecting on her runner-up finish at the U.S. Women’s Open, she added: “I was in the hunt, I was right there. That’s a good thing. You can look at it negatively, but a few weeks later, I can also use it as motivation. Hopefully, it makes me hungrier.”
Statistically, Korda was among the best at the U.S. Open in both Strokes Gained: Off the Tee and Approach. It was mainly her putting that kept her from lifting the trophy.
Another positive: Her older sister Jessica Korda is returning to competition after a long injury break. In tough moments, that family support seems especially meaningful.
Heat and Competition Add to the Challenge
In addition to her physical struggles, extreme heat will be a major factor at Sahalee Country Club, with temperatures expected to reach around 35°C during the tournament days — making both endurance and course strategy crucial.
The field is stacked, too: Lydia Ko, Brooke Henderson, Minjee Lee, Rose Zhang, and Sweden’s Maja Stark — whom Korda narrowly beat at the U.S. Open — are all heading into the Major with title ambitions. Revenge could be on the cards.
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.”
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.
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
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.”
Woods: TaylorMade Stealth 2 (15°, 21°)
Irons: TaylorMade P770 (5)
Irons: TaylorMade P7MC (6-PW)
Wedges: TaylorMade Milled Grind 4 (50°,54°,60°)
Putter: TaylorMade Spider Tour X L-Neck
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.
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
🏌🏼♀️👱🏻♀️👙 #LOOK — Sports Illustrated Swimsuit just dropped this photo of world #1 @NellyKorda’s recent shoot 😲@NellyLegion
(📸: @SI_Swimsuit) pic.twitter.com/1laCyWzP0r
— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) November 7, 2024
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.
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