As a six-year-old, the current world no. 1 ranked Nelly Korda, first started playing golf and probably experienced the love at first sight moment. Imagine a young girl in her white skirt and baby pink polo tee, a matching pink watch, a pale blue visor to go with sky blue shoes and all her focus fixed on the target. That is one of the photos that Korda shared with her Instagram followers back in April, 2017 as she wished everyone on the National Golf Day from “baby Nelly!” Today, an Olympic gold medal, 15 career wins and eight years of professional golfing later, the 26-year-old Nelly Korda is still friends with her teammates as an American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) amateur golfer including Alison Lee, Megan Khang, and Alison Corpuz, who now also play in the LPGA. And her fondest memory? The 2015 Junior Solheim Cup where she represented the USA in a 13-11 win. No doubt, she understands how starting the game of golf at a young age can stick with you.
Hence, the 8-time LPGA Tour winner brought back her AGJA Invitational, The Nelly Invitational, to continue giving spotlight to young female golfers from around the world to showcase and develop their skills. She summarizes it all by saying, “It’s a full-circle moment for me to be able to contribute to the organization that played a pivotal role in my development as a junior golfer.” But little does she know about her impact on the 66 amateur female golfers she rounds up in The Concession Golf Club and many more. Nevertheless, the participants are well aware. Back in May last year, Aphrodite Deng, 15, of Short Hills, New Jersey, would stand in the huge hallways of the white-walled reception of the venue to tell AGJA, “Nelly is inspiring all golfers right now with her five-streak win and it is really cool to be able to see someone dominate the game at her level.” All 66 of them were ready to take the challenge for the chance to hoist the trophy of the inaugural all-girls event. However, they were not ready for an experience to remember.
Although they were juniors, the beautifully assembled swag bags at the reception, the TaylorMade Tour Truck with the latest equipment ready to assist players, and the S2 Cognition Mobile Lab to test their mental game, all made them feel like professionals. While it was all smiles, fun, and selfies for some time, the mood shifted as everyone put on their game face, with Deng winning the event with one stroke, finishing 2-under-par. As a prize, she won the trophy and other awards along with Korda-signed TaylorMade Chevron Champion major staff bag, which she will proudly showcase at her home instead of using it, and a FaceTime with the world No. 1 herself. However, the game has evolved, and the stakes have risen. With a new presenting sponsor for the next three years in Chevron and the old friend TaylorMade Golf, Korda couldn’t be happier about the growing features of the event, and she does not want to hide her excitement.
Nelly Korda took to Instagram to announce this news to her one million followers. In her story, she reposted AJGA’s post about the same with this caption: “Travel stipends & AN EXEMPTION INTO 2026 @ thechevronchampionship!!!!! Wow, I can’t thank the people that brought our vision to life enough!!! 🥹”
The post by AGJA she shared on her story had the caption: “Where the Next Champions Rise @ NellyKorda knows what it takes to shine 🌟🏆, and through #TheNellyInv, she’s helping the next generation do the same. With @ Chevron as the Presenting Sponsor, this event is creating more opportunities than ever: 🌟 Providing the largest travel stipend in AJGA history 🌟 Awarding the champion a 2026 exemption into the @ TheChevronChampionship, an @ lpga_tour Major. The future of the game starts here! ⛳✨ #SeeHerBeHer #GrowTheGame”
According to the AGJA website, “This event will make history by awarding the tournament champion an exemption into the following year’s The Chevron Championship, marking the first-ever AJGA tournament to offer a direct entry into a major championship.”
It is indeed a huge benefit of winning the event apart from the other features provided by Chevron’s entry. The players will also get $2,000 travel stipends, for entry fees, flights, hotels and rental cars. The international players will get an additional $500 for the same reasons as AGJA plans on inviting 10 top international talents to the field who may not be its members or did not qualify through the Rolex AJGA Rankings.
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Welcoming Chevron, Korda stated, “I’m thrilled to welcome Chevron to The Nelly Invitational. With their support, we’re creating an event that not only brings together some of the best girls from around the world but also provides a platform to inspire and empower the next generation. Chevron’s investment helps us build on last year’s success and take this event even further.” Clearly, all stars signal that with the dates on the calendar marked for May 1-4, The Nelly Invitational will again top the charts and allow female golfers aged between 12-19 years the stage that they deserve.
This announcement comes amidst the lingering hiatus of Nelly, who, in fact, has given us all a date to look out for. During the 2025 HGV Tournament of Champions, she mentioned, “I won’t be going to Asia this year.” Although the star will be skipping the Asian leg this year to keep her schedule lighter after her neck injury, she will be joining LPGA Tour again from March 27-30 for the 2025 Ford Championship in Arizona. Until then, Kelly is already putting in the work through the workouts and of course, her Invitational.
Here are more details about the second edition of Korda’s AGJA event.
Nelly Korda’s The Nelly Invitational and the future of female golf
Since 2021, the AJGA has held an all-boys competition: the Team TaylorMade Invitational; however, until last year, elite junior girls did not have a comparable venue. Having shared a brilliant junior career with the AJGA, Korda hoped to provide the same opportunity for the next generation of female golfers. So what does this new partnership offer and what does it look like? Here’s a glance at it.
Additionally to the stipend benefits, this initiative will help reduce barriers for elite girl golfers from around the world and will set a new standard for excellence. And while it is the same at its core, one thing has changed since the last year. Previously, the participation fee for the event was at $375 which is reduced to $295 this time around. Not to mention, the players will also be getting that $2000 stipend to help with these charges. The competition will continue to hold the 54 holes, stroke play format.
Even the AJGA Executive Director, Stephen Hamblin, is all set to take on another season of The Nelly Invitational as his words from last year ring again, “Working alongside Nelly Korda and TaylorMade to add an all-girls event to the AJGA’s schedule marks a significant milestone for the AJGA. This dynamic partnership reflects our commitment to innovation and inclusivity and opens new doors for female junior golfers.”
Building on last year’s success, Chevron is set to make this trip to Korda’s birthplace even more memorable for the young golfers, however, the details are not out yet. But as Laura Lane, Vice President and Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at Chevron mentioned, “Chevron is honored to partner with Nelly and the AJGA to open doors for young athletes who embody excellence, determination, and the spirit of golf. Supporting events like this are the best way to build a foundation for the future of the sport. We’re excited to remove barriers to competition and help these young girl golfers achieve their dreams in an inclusive and inspiring environment.”
