One Friday night in December, a group of major champions gathered in a ballroom at the Orlando Ritz-Carlton. This was a multigenerational meeting of golf legends, players like Watson and Trevino and Singh, in town to play the PNC Championship, now assembling for a group photo. Tiger Woods entered the room with his son, Charlie. He spotted someone he’d never met. “Nelly! Hey!” he said, delighted at his first encounter with, at the time, the world’s top-ranked female golfer. She couldn’t believe it.
“I was like, Oh my God, he knows my name,” Nelly Korda remembers. “He knows who I am! That’s crazy.”
We’re at The Yards, a lively 12-hole public course southeast of Jacksonville, Fla. Korda’s taking a break between photos, grinning as she recalls the moment. It’s as incredible to her as it is obvious to me: Of course Tiger Woods knows who Nelly Korda is. Who doesn’t? But you can forgive her for geeking out. Superstardom is, after all, relatively new to her.
Korda’s 2021 changed everything. She won five events. Became a major champion. Took home Olympic gold. Ascended to World No. 1. In the process, the 23-year-old with the picture-perfect golf swing attained a newfound status too: the face of American women’s golf.
Korda is sheepishly embracing her celebrity. “I’m definitely not getting in Ubers and going, ‘Wanna see my gold medal?’ ” she says, laughing. “I travel like a hobo, hood up, so I don’t get recognized. But occasionally I do, and then it’s actually really cool, especially when it’s by young kids who say I’ve inspired them.”
Inspiration comes naturally to Korda, in part because she’s had good examples. Her parents, Petr and Regina, were highly ranked pro tennis players from the Czech Republic. Her sister, Jessica, five years her senior, paved the family’s road to the LPGA. Rounding out the athletic clan is her younger brother, Sebastian, currently the world’s 38th-ranked tennis player.
“Our parents are our rocks,” Jessica says. “They’ve taught us everything.” Including the urgency of the present. Their advice: Enjoy the moment. Make the most of the situation. Time passes quickly.
The start of the sisters’ 2022 season has reinforced that urgency. Jessica missed time with a rib injury. Shortly after her return, Nelly was diagnosed with a blood clot in her arm, which caused her to miss the year’s first major, the Chevron Championship, and ultimately has required surgery and a longer layoff than expected.
Jessica acknowledged how strange it was to play a major without Nelly alongside her. She dug deep, summoned some of her best form and went on to finish second. Make the most of the situation.
The age difference between Nelly and Jessica meant they didn’t play much junior golf together, but they’ve made up for lost time. The two share practice rounds every Tuesday and dinner when their tournament schedules allow. They share friends, like practice partners Megan Khang, Austin Ernst and Alison Lee. They were Olympic teammates last season and have proven to be an unstoppable partnership in Solheim Cups. They even share a coach, Jamie Mulligan, who admires their bond.
