Despite Taking Up Challenge Against Her Idol Tiger Woods, Are There Any Hopes for Nelly Korda on LPGA This Season?

The 2023 season was brutal for a few LPGA Tour golfers. Former World No.1 Lydia Ko stands 101st on the CME Globe season list, missing the CME Group Tour Championship. Similarly, Solheim Cup famed Lexi Thompson could not rank up and joined Ko in missing the event.

Meanwhile, 1x major champion Nelly Korda also faced challenges throughout the season, though not as severe. Korda, who once stood at the No.1 rank, slowly moved down due to her performance in 2023. While she is committed to playing at the PNC Championship, did LPGA’s cover girl make it to the season-ending championship?

Nelly Korda’s fight for a title in 2023

Nelly Korda made her debut in 2015, and the golfer has won 12 titles on the LPGA Tour. This season, she wished to add another triumph to her bag. However, it was different than what Korda expected. Having spent six years on the tour, 2023 is one of the years where she is going winless.

Korda had eight Top 10s, but after the Solheim Cup, she played only three events, while missing four. The missing period was due to her taking a hiatus for her mental and physical health. However, participating lesser has not prevented Korda from playing at the championship.

Unlike Lexi Thompson and Lydia Ko, Nelly Korda stands 15th on the Race to CME Globe ranking thanks to her Top 10 finishes. With 1,567.956 points, she is qualified to enter the fields of players at the CME Group Tour Championship, as the Top 60 and ties are eligible.

The 12-time LPGA winner has never won the championship. After missing her hand at the three-peat victory at The ANNIKA event, Korda will look forward to end the drought and secure her first victory at Naples. After that, she will participate in the PNC Championship with her idol, Tiger Woods. However, until she reaches Naples, another drawback follows Korda.

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Nelly Korda dips in Rolex Rankings

Korda started her 2023 season while sitting at the World No.2 rank in the Rolex Rankings. In April 2023, she acquired the best rank of any golfer’s career, World No.1. However, as the year progressed, Korda stepped down month by month.

From leading the ranking to finding herself in her year’s worst rank, Korda now sits at 6th after she finished The ANNIKA event. A winless year has impacted Korda a lot. At the season-ending championship, will she successfully redeem herself? Fans will have to wait till November 16 to find out.

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