After Nailing What Scottie Scheffler Failed to Do, Nelly Korda Proves Why She Is a True Gem: ‘I’m Just the Player’

For the missed times in the 2022 season, Nelly Korda is getting her redemption through and through. The LPGA Tour star has just won the FORD Championship at the Seville Golf and Country Club by two shots over rookie player Hira Naveed. This victory of Korda makes her the first player in eight years to win in three consecutive starts. Before that, Ariya Jutanugarn held the said record, which she achieved back in 2016.

Something that the world number one on the PGA Tour could not achieve. Scottie Scheffler was also teeing up at the Houston Open in Texas after winning back-to-back at the Arnold Palmer Invitational THE PLAYERS. However, he couldn’t achieve the same result as Korda because Stephan Jaeger clinched his maiden win and stopped him. After surpassing even the men’s circuit’s biggest star at the moment, Korda shared what helped her three-peat.

Nelly Korda reflects on her break from golf 

The world number one was undoubtedly beaming at the post-match conference with her silverware earned at the Seville G&CC. And seeing the occasion, the reporter asked, What’s the secret sauce for her spectacular wins? To which Nelly Korda smilingly said, “I don’t know. Just really enjoying myself out there. I mean, I love golf. I’ve always loved golf.”

However, soon after, Korda recalled the tough times that she faced in the previous season when the 11-time LPGA Tour winner was unable to card a victory on the Tour as she struggled with her physical health. She recounted, “Last year was definitely one of the harder years. I never really got any momentum going with injuries and such. The past two years in all honesty.”

The 11-time LPGA Tour winner went on to spill the secret and describe how her 7-week off from the course after the Drive-On Championship was the best way to rest for her mental and physical health. This helped her to reconnect with her family and herself. Korda explained, “I would say the reset that I had after Bradenton really, really helped me. I really enjoyed my time off. Spent a lot of time with my family. Went back to Prague. I enjoyed life outside of golf a little. Just disconnected. To me, that was just like the perfect reset going into this busy schedule.”

Korda’s success makes her the first American after Nancy Lopez (5 straight wins in 1978) to win in consecutive starts. The incredible victory has surely put the 25-year-old on the same pedestal as Scheffler and others. Regardless, the win is a huge testament to the 2-time major champion’s skills. Amidst the celebration, Korda further divulged how the vacation was not the secret sauce but one of the ingredients and went on to share the rest.

Nelly Korda’s humble nature after the win

Sure, the golfer is the one who actually plays, struggles, and gets back on their feet to win while facing a hurdle. But to support the pro, there will always be a dedicated team of managers, caddies, and whatnot. After her 11th win on the LPGA Tour, Korda wasn’t shy about crediting her success to them. She said, “I mean, I’m out on the golf course, but I have a whole team behind me that I couldn’t have done it without them.”

Read More: How Many Times Has Nelly Korda Claimed World Number One Title?

Furthermore, the world’s number one on the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings was also grateful for her family’s support throughout her ups and downs. Korda, being extremely humble, relayed, “I’m just the player, but I have a whole group behind me that is helping me lead the way. I think that I can’t thank them enough. My success is their success.”

The 11-time LPGA Tour winner will now enter the T-Mobile Match Play in Las Vegas on Wednesday as a 3-time winner in the 2024 season. Will she continue the streak of victories at Vegas? As things are moving right now for Korda, it mightn’t be an impossible task for her!

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