KORDA – Golfing Networks

A simple gear change helped Nelly Korda win a U.S. Women’s Open

admin — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 04:48:19 +0000

Nelly Korda put fresh wedges in play at Riviera, a reminder that worn grooves can quietly cost everyday golfers spin and control.

Nelly Korda’s winning setup at the U.S. Women’s Open was full of equipment most golfers would expect from the best player in the women’s game.

There was a TaylorMade Qi4D driver, a TP5x golf ball, a Stealth 2 7-wood, P·7CB cavity-back irons and a prototype blade putter. In other words, gear that can make everyday golfers drool and lean closer to the screen, even if that exact setup might not be ideal for the average player trying to take on Riviera Country Club, which ranks 17th on Golfweek’s Best Classic Courses.

That’s the effect “winner’s bags” can have. A great player wins a huge tournament, the equipment list gets posted, and golfers start looking for magic.

However, the most useful gear lesson from Korda’s U.S. Women’s Open victory at Riviera may not be that she plays a Qi4D driver, TaylorMade’s TP5x ball or a prototype blade putter. It might be that before one of the biggest tournaments of the year, she paid attention to something many recreational golfers ignore until it is too late: Nelly put fresh wedges in the bag.

According to TaylorMade, Korda added fresh MG5 wedges for Riviera, specifically a 50-degree SB and a 54-degree HB, to get fresh grooves for firm turf conditions at the U.S. Women’s Open. That may sound small compared with a driver switch or a new putter, but around Riviera, where firm greens, tight lies and recovery shots can expose inconsistencies, it matters.

Most amateurs understand that grips wear out, balls get scuffed and driver faces can crack.

Wedge grooves are different. They wear down gradually, almost invisibly, until one day the ball that used to check near the hole starts releasing like it has a dinner reservation somewhere behind the green.

Fresh grooves are not about making a wedge “better” in some mysterious, Tour-only way. They restore consistency. When grooves are sharp and clean, especially on partial shots, bunker shots and pitches from grass, they help the face manage moisture, debris and friction. That can create more predictable spin and launch.

As grooves wear, you won’t lose control immediately. Instead, you may notice that one shot checks and the next one hops and runs. Suddenly, what felt like a technique problem might be an equipment maintenance problem.

For Korda, the move was tied to Riviera’s firm turf. On softer courses, players can use trajectory and landing angle to help stop the ball. On firm courses, especially major championship setups, spin control becomes more valuable because the margin for error shrinks. Otherwise, a good shot can become a 25-footer.

Korda’s week was not won only with wedges. She drove the ball beautifully, hit controlled iron shots and leaned on the all-around game that has made her the dominant player in women’s golf.

But the wedge detail is important because it shows how elite players think about equipment. They are not just asking, “What is the newest club?” They are asking, “What does this course demand?”

You probably do not need Korda’s exact driver specs, her prototype putter or to organize your golf life around what a major champion uses, unless you also have a world-class swing, elite speed control and a short game that travels under U.S. Open pressure.

But you probably need to look at your wedges because most avid players use them for too long.

If you play a lot, practice from bunkers, hit range balls with your wedges or use the same 54-degree or 56-degree club for everything inside 100 yards, the grooves may be more worn than you think.

That does not mean you need to replace your wedges every few months like a Tour player. Tour pros hit more shots, practice more often and compete on firmer, faster surfaces where tiny differences are magnified. But recreational golfers often go too far in the other direction, keeping wedges in the bag for years while expecting them to perform like they did when they were new.

For you, the better question is whether your wedge shots still behave the way you expect. Do half-wedges launch higher and spin less than they used to? Do chips release more than they did a season ago? Do bunker shots feel like they are sliding up the face?

Maybe it is technique, but maybe your wedge grooves are dulling.

Scoring clubs are precision tools, and precision tools wear.

Golfers love to talk about gaining 10 yards with a driver. Distance is fun. Drivers are cool, but nobody walks into a golf shop and says, “I would like to spend money on spin consistency from 47 yards,” unless they are either very serious or their short game is in bad shape.

Before Riviera asked her to control trajectory, spin and distance under major championship pressure, Nelly Korda made sure two of her most important scoring clubs were fresh.

A fresh wedge won’t make you as good as Nelly Korda, but it might make your next pitch behave more like the shot you thought you hit.

David Dusek is a senior writer for Golfweek, covering equipment and technology.

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Nelly Korda is about to play the most important round of her life

admin — Sun, 07 Jun 2026 06:48:48 +0000

PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. — Most weeks we have no clue who will win. The oddsmakers list their educated guesses, but it’s all based on single-digit percentages. But some weeks, the storylines coalesce around a single character. At the U.S. Women’s Open, that’s Nelly Korda.

The question Korda faces Sunday is the same one she faced Thursday morning when she played her first hole. It’s the same one she faced Tuesday morning when she gave her pre-tournament press conference. It’s very simple:

Are you able to summon a victory the one week you need it the most?

Why does she need this one most? Because form isn’t forever. Because she’s playing the best golf of her life. Because she’s won a Gold medal but never her national championship. Because the next U.S. Women’s Open at historic Riviera isn’t on the calendar and these moments can pass by quickly if you don’t stamp your name all over them.

For more than 10 years, Rory McIlroy failed to get the job done at Augusta National, and stayed one victory shy of the career Grand Slam. Then the dam broke. He’s now won there twice in a row.

Lydia Ko could just accept the podium at the 2024 Olympics. She needed to be on top of the podium at the Paris Games, to not only join the LPGA Hall of Fame, but to polish off the medal slam. Silver in 2016, Bronze in 2021, it was Gold or nothing in 2024. She won the Gold. Then she won at St. Andrews a couple weeks later.

Scottie Scheffler will have (it seems) a bunch more chances to win the U.S. Open, starting in two weeks at Shinnecock — in order to claim his career Grand Slam — but until he does it, we’ll be wondering, can he do it? When he’ll do it. IF he can do it.

That’s how it goes with the game’s best players. They go through valleys and reach peaks all the time. It comes and goes and they understand that. But when the golf is great, how great can it be? These are the questions we ask. In press conferences, in clubhouses and in Hall of Fame speeches 20 years from now. How memorable will this stretch of Nelly Korda golf be? It starts Sunday afternoon, in a position not too dissimilar from where we were 12 months ago.

When she turned to the back nine, last year at Erin Hills, Korda was one stroke back of Maja Stark. In hindsight, all she needed was one under on the finishing stretch. She shot one over.

“I really, really wanted it,” Korda said Saturday night, thinking back. “And the more you want it, sometimes the more you stiffen up and you get a little bit more nervous.”

She says she plays her best golf when she’s free. When she’s joking around and happy. That’s the attitude she wants to bring to the final round. But how possible is that? Her game hasn’t been perfect this week. She’s been working through different swing thoughts and advice from her team.

When it kicks off Sunday, a journey of sorts will have narrowed to a really tight place. The biggest crowd of the week will be following her and they’ll pinch in around the 1st tee in front of the historic clubhouse. If you rewound the clock to January 1 and asked her to visualize her 2026 season, she’d imagine herself teeing off for the final round at Riviera with the lead. She’s there now, and it’s no accident. The days between Jan. 1 and June 7, at least golf-wise, have been nearly perfect. Three wins, three second-place finishes, top 10 everywhere. It’s indisputably the best golf of her life and some of the best golf we’ve ever seen.

But what if it doesn’t end in a victory?

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Despite not having ‘A-game,’ Nelly Korda dominating again this week

admin — Sun, 03 May 2026 15:47:26 +0000

In what is becoming routine (again), Nelly Korda holds a big lead heading into the final round of an LPGA event. This time, it’s the 2026 Riviera Maya Open at Mayakoba, where Korda has reached 14 under through three rounds.

That’s good enough for a three-shot lead over her nearest challenger, Arpichaya Yubol.

Korda’s latest LPGA blitz comes just one week after her last. At the 2026 Chevron Championship, the first LPGA major of the year, Korda put together a five-stroke victory for her second Chevron title and third career major win.

The victory also saw Korda retake the No. 1 position in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings.

Nelly Korda with 3-shot lead: ‘You’re never going to have your A-game’

This week, Korda has gone 68-67-67 over the first three rounds at El Camaleon Golf Course to build her advantage.

Despite her dominant performance so far, Korda surprisingly admitted she didn’t have her “A-game” this week in her press conference Saturday evening.

“I feel good. I love competing,” Korda said. “You’re never going to have your A-game.”

She elaborated on her point, explaining that even the greatest players have to find a way to win when their games aren’t in perfect shape.

Nelly Korda conquered herself to win the Chevron Championship

By:

Josh Schrock

“A lot of players, if you talk to them in the past, a common question, or I think a question a lot of people should ask is like, did you win with your A-game? Did you win your B-game or your C-game?” Korda said. “I’ve talked to guys, I’ve talked to girls, and rarely have they ever said, I won with my A-game that week. It’s all about just grinding it out and being confident in knowing that you know, you’re going to make mistakes, but not to emphasize them too much and to quickly try and bounce back.”

And Korda has certainly done that this season. Her Chevron title was her second of the year, following her first at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions. Though that victory was given to her when the tournament was called after 54 holes.

In all three of her other starts this season, Korda has finished runner-up. That record through five starts (1-2-2-T2-1) is mind-bendingly good. But Korda has not been immune to a late swoon when in contention this year.

At the 2026 Fortinet Founders Cup, Korda was tied for the lead with eight holes to play when a late three-putt doomed her chances at victory. At the 2026 Ford Championship, she watched her 36-hole lead vanish, resulting in another runner-up. She shot a 75 on Sunday at the Aramco Championship to finish T2.

Korda, however, is confident in her chances on Sunday in Mexico. As she said after her third round, she knows she will make mistakes, but experience has taught her how to expect, and overcome, them.

“Experience. Just not knowing that it’s not the 18th hole, I don’t need to press just to be smart. Also, I have a great caddie that does his homework, that walks the golf course, that’s how the greens are reactive, that you just kind of try to avoid the mistakes as much as possible,” Korda said on Saturday. “You’re gonna hit a bad shot here and there and you’re gonna find yourself in trouble, but trying to kind of stay away from the holes that kind of lead you to trouble. I think it’s the goal and be aggressive on a par-5 that you hit a good tee shot. It’s all about placement out here because it is a really hard golf course.”

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Nelly Korda is freed up at the Chevron Championship. That’s bad news for the field

admin — Fri, 24 Apr 2026 01:20:41 +0000

HOUSTON — Nelly Korda’s major championship season opened with stress and everyone holding their breath.

Starting on the par-4 10th at Memorial Park, Korda faced a six-foot sliding putt for par. Miss it, and the World No. 2 would start the Chevron Championship with an inauspicious bogey and be behind the eight-ball out of the gates, leaving everyone wondering if a repeat of a shaky 2025 major season was on deck. She took a deep breath and calmly rolled it in the heart. Another seven-foot par putt awaited her on her second hole of the day, the par-3 11th, and once again Korda answered the bell.

Just as the LPGA needed her to.

It’s unfair to put the tour on Korda’s shoulders. But she’s the biggest star in the women’s game and if the LPGA is going to make inroads with new audiences, it needs their biggest needle to be a draw on its biggest weeks.

The LPGA needed Nelly Korda to provide electricity this week at Memorial Park. After two gritty par saves to start her championship, Nelly Korda delivered.

She birdied No. 12 and No. 16 to turn in 2-under. Then, she hit the gas. Korda stuffed a wedge into the par-5 first to get to 3 under and then hit a 5 iron on the par-3 second hole to five feet for another birdie.

“I hit that one good,” a beaming Korda said after her round. “Those are the shots that you’re like, oh, God, I love golf.”

Another birdie followed at the third to get Korda into a tie for the early lead. After three straight pars, Korda arrived at the par-3 7th hole and hit a towering 6 iron to five feet for another birdie. A final birdie at the par-5 8th meant Korda signed for an opening round of 7 under and a two-shot lead. It was the second-lowest opening round in a major of Korda’s career and her first bogey-free round in a major since the second round of the 2024 AIG Women’s Open.

A year ago, Korda was going through the early part of a “weird” and winless 2025 season. It was a campaign that saw her truly contend at only one of the five majors. It was frustrating but also served as a reminder for Korda that she already has all she needs. She has long held the key to her own success and has the support system around her to keep her stable in the downturns that naturally arrive in the world of professional golf.

“I would say that you receive a lot more criticism when you’re on top of the game, and having a tight-knit circle, you’re very grateful for the people you have around,” Korda said at last year’s CME Group Tour Championship. “The circle does get a little smaller, but I think I have an amazing circle. I would say I’m extremely, extremely lucky for the people that I have around me. At the end of the day, the life that we live and performing in front of people, it is super important to have that stability in your life.”

Top amateur Kiara Romero’s star potential showed in unexpected moments at Chevron

By:

Josh Schrock

That circle, and the consistency in it, have helped Nelly Korda find Nelly Korda so far this year. After constantly finishing on the wrong side of golf’s “fine line” in 2025, Korda got back to work. She refined her schedule, kept the pedal down practicing with her longtime coach David Whelan in the offseason, made sure her body was ready for the grind of another season and kept her circle the same.

All of that has seen Korda start the year with a win at the weather-shortened Tournament of Champions, followed by three straight runner-up finishes heading into the year’s first major. Her game and mind are where they need to be.

“With golf, I feel like you can put in the work,” Korda said on Tuesday before the tournament. “Like I always say, control what you can control, and am I working hard? Am I putting in the effort every single day mentally and physically? Other than that, I can’t control anything. I can’t control the weather. I can’t control what other girls do, what other girls shoot. I can’t control if I hit a good shot, and I’m in a divot.

“Like there are so many things on this game that you just can’t control. I try to just take that all out of my mind and be like, Okay, I am going to focus on what I can control, and that’s it.”

Nelly Korda controlled all she could to be ready for this week. She took last week off to work more with Whelan and brought her putting coach David Angelotti out to Houston for the week. She played 18 holes on Monday and then putted on wet greens on Tuesday once the thunderstorms had passed. She saw a long, demanding golf course that played to her strengths. All that was vital to what transpired Thursday.

But Nelly Korda is also free and loose. The frustrations of last year are flushed. She’s opened the season on a tear and is now already two shots ahead on a course she just ripped apart in the opening 18 holes.

“I’m just happy,” Korda said after her round, about the different feelings this year brings before praising every member of her team, from Whelan to longtime caddie Jason McDede. “I think just there is a comfort and happiness inside me that makes me happy on the golf course.”

A free and easy Nelly Korda has been unleashed this week in Houston. That’s bad news for the rest of the field but exactly what the LPGA needed.

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NELLY KORDA INTERVIEW: REFLECTING ON FIRST WIN IN 2026

admin — Fri, 20 Mar 2026 16:45:37 +0000

Nelly Korda reflects on brutal conditions, mental discipline and trust in her process after a weather-shortened victory, as she opens the season with confidence, and a new driver in the bag in one of the finest rounds of her career at Lake Nona.

Q. Nelly…Take us through the week.

NELLY KORDA: Yeah, I mean, Thursday, Friday were great. The weather was maybe getting a little bit windier on Friday but conditions were super nice.

We knew ten days before this or a week before this that Saturday and Sunday were going to be really tough, especially with the wind projection for Saturday afternoon and then the cold temps that it was bringing for Sunday.

So it was just kind of mentally prepare for it. Yesterday was probably one of my best rounds I’ve ever played in my career. Just really proud of everything that Jay and I went through to get to that point of the process, the mental clarity of my shots, and commitment to each one of them.

So overall, just really happy.

You know, Orlando threw lot at us in a few days.

Q. Take us through the process of when you got to the course and getting ready to hopefully go out there and competing today and finding out the news.

NELLY KORDA: Yeah, I was fully mentally preparing foregoing out and playing 18, battling for the win.

You know, it was definitely getting a little bit antsy just sitting in dining kind of waiting to see what was going to happen throughout the day.

I knew once the girls were going to go out and finish the third round I just wanted to get out and just start my routine no matter what happened.

So went to the gym, warmed up, and then went to the putting green, did my routine there, and then walked to the range. Was still very routine-oriented. I tried to get into the mindset, because a couple years ago I was three back with two to play, so I was trying to give myself the mindset like anything can happen; just go out and still stick to your own process.

Q. Another tournament for you and Jess to share, both winning the event. Just how special is it when those moments overlap?

NELLY KORDA: Yeah, it’s crazy. Super grateful for that, that we get to share the sport, all these memories together. Wish she was out here like I was for hers.

Overall, just grateful for this game bringing us closer together and sharing so many great things that we get to look back on.

Q. Kind of piggybacking on that, when your sister won here Mardy Fish also won the celebrity side. How cool is that that not only do you share the tournament win, but also Mardy Fish seems to be a good luck charm for the Kordas.

NELLY KORDA: Yeah, Mardy is great. I’ve known him for so many years obviously with the tennis background. He played really well, too. He’s such a solid great golfer.

So, yeah, I actually didn’t know that, that he won that year and he won the same year I did. But overall, I love spending time with Mardy. We haven’t (sic) gotten to play a couple times together, but every single time we have shared the golf course together it’s been a blast.

Q. When was the last time you won a tournament without hitting a shot on the final day?

NELLY KORDA: Probably never. (Laughter.) I don’t think so. As I said, every win of mine is very interesting always. But, yeah, to answer that question, probably never.

Q. An unusual way of going about it, but just to get the year off with a win, especially after coming close but not being able to last year.

NELLY KORDA: Yeah, golf is a game of centimeters. You know, there were so many times last year where I wished I had an inch here or a centimeter there where it would’ve changed the story completely.

That’s how it goes sometimes. As long as you are mentally 100% in it and preparing to your best ability, that’s all you can control at the end of the day; same with weather.

So I was so close. I played really well last year. Obviously didn’t get the win, but I played some amazing golf the first three days this week and I’m really proud of myself, my team, and all the work that we have put in when no one was watching and everyone was talking about it.

So just very happy to get the first win of the year, and hopefully that leads into a great year, too. No matter what, like I’m always going put 100% into it. With results, when it comes to sports, you just never know. The only thing you can control is the level and the input that you put into your craft and your sport. I will always be doing that.

No matter the results, I know that mentally I’m doing that every single day I step on the golf course, and that’s what I’m proud of.

Q. Congratulations, first of all.

NELLY KORDA: Thank you.

Q. So this is a game of centimeters. Is there anything over the first three rounds that you can look at that you feel you did better than on the whole of last year?

NELLY KORDA: I did a lot of good last year. Just kind of wasn’t going my way. I guess I was just so focused on being really present, which I told myself to do that last year, too. Maybe the outside noise did make its way in a little bit more than I wanted to.

I learned a lot from that. I actually — there are times where it’s like, okay I’m very grateful to go through the lows because they make me appreciate the highs so much and make me appreciate what I need to really pay attention to and what is actually relevant to me.

As long as my team knows who I am and that I’m putting 110% into it and they’re on the same wave length of putting 110% in it, that’s all that matters to me.

Q. With the celebrities out there playing were you surprised that you guys didn’t tee off earlier? Looking at the forecast tomorrow were you surprised that Monday wasn’t an option?

NELLY KORDA: Listen, I think the LPGA is always going to do what’s best for the players. When it comes to the internal decisions, I like to focus on myself and prepare for what’s to come with the information that I have at hand.

I know from a bunch of girls that were out there playing and practicing before, probably 110% came back in and were like what are we doing right now?

So at the end of the day, I mean, what we have on the line versus what the celebrities have on the line is a little bit different. I think the LPGA made the decision to look after their players, and at the end of the day we can’t do anything about that. All we can do is prepare with the information we are told.

Q. Kind of unique conditions out here that you don’t normally see in a professional tournament with the wind and cold.

NELLY KORDA: Yeah.

Q. You said you played one of your best rounds ever yesterday. What does that do for where mental fortitude knowing you can overcome the tough conditions and still perform?

NELLY KORDA: In 2024 I played in some brutal conditions. I’ve played in AIG British Women’s Open where the conditions are brutal. You really have to lock in. The more you play in those conditions the more you learn to really have the word patience just constantly going through your mind.

You’re going to hit some bad shots that will end up really poorly. It’s all about — in those circumstances it’s all about finding your ball, hitting it again, finding it, hitting it again, and kind of then diverting to the mindset of, okay, let’s see what we can do here. What do we have at hand.

At the end of the day those situations make me very present and I have to really dial in to, one, my target and, two, just commitment to the shot. Like everything is just about being 100% committed. I’ve had shots where it’s perfectly sunny out, 80 degrees and I’m in between two clubs, and I’m not committed to one and I kind of fly it out to the right because I’m not committed to it.

That had to go out the window in those conditions. Even if it’s the wrong decision, you have to be 100% committed to it.

Q. Sharing that stage with Mardy Fish, you went back and forth with the trophy a little bit. Who gets to take it home?

NELLY KORDA: I don’t know. He said he already has one of them and I don’t, so I guess I would take it.

Q. When a win like this happens, does it feel like a weight has been lifted for the rest of the season, and how do you look at the rest of the season?

NELLY KORDA: No, not necessarily. Like I want to perform week in and week out. I knew that everything I was doing last year was good enough to win; I just didn’t win.

It’s all about just your commitment and your practice. Like if you give your craft 100% and you know that you’re prepared week in and week out, you’re giving yourself the best opportunity to perform.

At the end of the day like that’s what we can control and that’s what I’m going to try and control.

Q. Nelly, you pointed so much to your team as a credit for your success. What role did they play in helping you get the win this week?

NELLY KORDA: Just keeping me very grounded and patient. Jay and I are out on the golf course, and then Kim off the golf course. I think we all just make sure that the outside noise is outside noise and what we’re doing internally, just to stay committed to that and just to stay very patience because we are doing the right thing and checking the boxes correctly and when the time was right, it was going to happen.

Q. Did you feel a sense of pressure being lifted off just getting last year behind you, no longer having the title defenses, and having a fresh year here?

NELLY KORDA: In a sense maybe, yeah. You know, I’m always so excited to come out and tee it up against the best players in the world. The day I don’t feel that is going to be a very bad day for me.

Still, even last year, you know, title defense, obviously you have a little bit of added pressure to yourself, but there is something so fun and exhilarating about those moments. I’ve said it a couple times: There is nothing better than going down the back nine when you’re in contention and feeling the rush of emotions.

But in a sense, yeah, it does feel nice for it to be a fresh year. You can say that it’s a fresh month, too. Last year I could have been like, okay, it’s October 1st; whatever I did this year is behind me.

But it’s all just honestly just mindset.

Q. You never want to take too much for granted, but what was the mental shift when you heard it was not going to go 72, it was only going to go 54?

NELLY KORDA: I was fully preparing that I was going to go out and play 18 until I saw that e-mail and until I saw that it was going back to 54.

But then I still had the mindset — because in Bradenton, I was three back with two to play and I knew she still had a chance. You know, there has been some crazy things happen in the game of golf or in sports in general.

So still preparing for maybe playing a playoff, but I was still 100% trying to dial in mentally.

Q. Wanted to ask one more about outside noise. Where do you mostly hear outside noise and do you try to filter things out on social media or whatnot?

NELLY KORDA: I’ve definitely taken a step back from social media. There were weeks, especially last year, where I went like a month for without evening logging into my social media. Yeah, even if you don’t want to see it, it kind of still pops up. So I definitely unfollowed a lot of golf accounts. I have done that.

And I’ve just tried to — if I’m on social I try not to look at stuff. I think it’s just a distraction at the end of the day.

Q. Do you watch golf on TV?

NELLY KORDA: Rarely. No. And if I do — when I did it was always when Tiger played. So not really. I’ll watch the highlights now.

Q. Congratulations. I know this tournament has been one where you’ve won at this property before, not this event. You’ve had five Top 5s. How good does it feel to get this one knocked off the list finally?

NELLY KORDA: Yeah, it feels amazing. I’ve played some really solid golf out here. I’ve come close; just haven’t notched the victory.

But to play the golf that I played yesterday was, as I said, I think that’s one of my best rounds that I’ve ever played in my entire life.

To come out on top just feels amazing. To do that in front of my family and friends, fiance for the first time, was really special.

Q. Having him in the crowd, and I know you have such a happy life off the golf course right now, do you think that settles you? Do you really look at things like that?

NELLY KORDA: Yeah, for sure. I love having him at events. I would say I’m a little bit of a hermit crab when I’m playing tournaments. I go to the golf course and I go to the hotel and maybe do I go out to dinner three times a week.

It’s nice. When my sister left and she got pregnant I think that was a really big mental adjustment for me not having my dinner buddy and having the person that I was so close to, so now I get to appreciate it when Casey comes out and weeks like this to have that — even if it’s in silence having a comfort there.

Q. What do you focus on when you play?

NELLY KORDA: Well, depends on the conditions. What do I focus on when I play? Usually Jason gives me three numbers. It’s the front of the green — well, actually a couple numbers, sorry.

The front of the green, the pin, and just over the green, and then we have a landing number. So when it comes to that, I focus in on my landing number, and then depending on the wind, if it’s left to right, right to left, I focus in on an exact target and keep it really simple.

NELLY’S NEW DRIVER

Nelly Korda played the same driver for over two years. In fact, she’s played that same driver head shape for eight years. So, why would she switch from something that helped her win 15 LPGA Tour titles and two major championships?

Simply put, the gains are real with Qi4D driver. In one start in 2026 with Qi4D, Nelly has one win (career win No. 16) after her dominant third round at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions.

“Immediately when I put this thing in the bag I loved it. It’s doing exactly what I want… having it under pressure on the golf course is what’s most important.” Nelly Korda

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NELLY KORDA INTERVIEW: SEASON ROUND-UP

admin — Tue, 27 Jan 2026 18:42:16 +0000

As she closes out a year of hole-outs, heartbreaks, and hard-earned progress, Nelly Korda talks about managing pressure, tuning out the noise, and finding confidence in the grind that defined her 2025 campaign.

Q. After the final round of the CME Group Tour Championship. Just wrapped up here. What can you say about this week and honestly just the season as a whole for you?

NELLY KORDA: Obviously the main goal was to finish on top, but after my first day I did give it a run for it. Even thought leaders were super far ahead. Always felt like I was playing catchup in a sense.

Overall, yeah, another year. I’m grateful for it all. Grateful for the highs, lows, and grateful for my team.

Q. You tapped in one of the best shots of your year on the 11th. Take us through that hole-out.

NELLY KORDA: Yeah, hit my driver a little out right. Honestly wasn’t a bad place to miss it out there. I had 136 yards which was a perfect 9-iron and I hit it — like I hit it really pure, which is also really nice when you hole-out, when it all matches up.

And I’ve never heard Jason yell that loud. Even the cameraman he was like, dude, I got scared. It was nice to see that go in. In the past year I’ve been lipping out, so for it to be the last round of the year, obviously last round of the season, it felt good to see that go in.

Q. When you look back at 2025 what’s a word you’ll use to describe the season and why?

NELLY KORDA: A grind. Yeah, just there was — I feel like there was a lot of ups and downs and it made me grow a lot mentally and I would say I’m just also very grateful for it because, you know, success is never linear.

Q. How do you think you’ve grown mentally?

NELLY KORDA: I would just say expectations, listening to outside noises, really just sticking to what I know best, and that’s to keep everything simple.

Q. Are there any shots that replay through your mind throughout the course of the season that you wish you could have back?

NELLY KORDA: Yeah, precisely No. 18 at the U.S. Open. I actually hit that shot so good. Probably hit that shot the best that I did all year, and just because of the adrenaline I hit it probably, I don’t know, ten yards too long and a little bit too left; was in the place that at the beginning of the week on Monday I was like, I cannot be here, and I was there.

So if I could get one shot back, that would be it.

But I mean, there are so many. That’s the one that kind of comes to mind, yeah.

But everything happens for a reason.

Q. It’s interesting that this many years in adrenaline is still something that you have to figure out and factor in.

NELLY KORDA: Yeah.

Q. I guess it varies from moment to moment exactly how adrenaline will impact a shot.

NELLY KORDA: Yeah, I think everyone kind of deals with it. You’re always learning. You never have it figured out really. That’s why it always humbles you.

Q. When you talked about your team early this week and how they have kind of given you a different look at things when you vent to them, just curious what have they given you perspective on that you can’t maybe yourself can’t take a step back and look at?

NELLY KORDA: Yeah, just kind of like more of like outcomes of tournaments. Like where you’re just kind of looking at the actual outcome of not winning, not finishing inside the top 10, not contending. At the end of the day like it’s all about also improving from week to week, especially if maybe you’re in the hitting it great and you see an improvement in that.

So just kind of more of a different perspective.

Q. You said you’ll remember the highs and the lows from this year. What do you consider one or two of the highs or one or two of the lows?

NELLY KORDA: Highs was probably the U.S. Women’s Open. I mean, the adrenaline rush, there is nothing like it. The highs are probably like seeing like the great flashes in my game where I’m very excited about the work that I put in.

Then some of the lows are like every girl can say that out here, ever pro can say that, you put so much time in effort into your craft and you just don’t play well. You just do it over and over and over again. Sometimes you just go a little crazy.

Q. LeBron commented again on a Nelly post. I don’t know, is there a future round?

NELLY KORDA: Hopefully, fingers crossed. I mean, he is a very busy man and we definitely do not live on the same coast of the U.S.

So if timing matches up it would be great to play with him.

Q. How cool is it to see people like that react to the women’s game?

NELLY KORDA: It’s so great. You kind of see it across different sports, and it’s fun to see women’s golf have its moment as well. You see the tennis where all the stars come and watch all the amazing pros and then you see it with the men’s game, too. For people to finally see not just myself but all the other amazing girls out here and finally get their time, you know to be on primetime TV and people to invest in us and our craft and really know that we are great, has been a lot of fun.

I hope to see it continue growing.

Q. Just one quick one: Jeeno now has set a single-season scoring record beating Annika’s record from 2002.

NELLY KORDA: Yeah.

Q. Can you put in perspective how hard it is to beat any of Annika’s records, but what that means over the course of a year?

NELLY KORDA: Yeah, it’s quite amazing. Great talent, great player. It’s fun to see her craft kind of up close as well.

But, yeah, I mean, it’s kind of crazy, right? To finally beat a record so far in — what was it, 2002 you said? For it to take until 2025, I mean, it’s crazy. That just tells you that the greats don’t come along too often

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