5 Ways Nelly Korda Proved Masters Chairman Wrong for Feigning Ignorance

Can Nelly Korda be what Caitlin Clark is to the WNBA? The R&A chairman, Fred Ridley, believed that someone like Korda might not be suitable for that role. What Ridley observed is that women’s golf needs young talent. “There’s something about, even with all the change in rules and NIL and transfer portal, but amateur athletes just have an appealing characteristic to me. And particularly the young ones,” Ridley argued.

However, Korda, after taking her 13th victory on the LPGA Tour, proved that the snub by the Masters chairman was probably not correct in its stance. And she unapologetically showed why she might be the thing that will get women’s golf the attention it deserves.

Nelly Korda enters the LPGA history books with a second-major win

The LPGA Tour posted on Instagram a list of Nelly Korda’s accomplishments that have entered her in the LPGA history book. Not only LPGA Tour, Korda also joined the ranks of the famed golfers, Tiger Woods and Ben Hogan, for her consecutive records.

1. Five consecutive victories streak after 18 years: Nelly Korda emerged triumphant at the Chevron Championship and carded her fifth consecutive victory on the LPGA Tour. The world no. 1 became the third player since 1978 to attain the incredible feat, joining Nancy Lopez and Annika Sorenstam.

2. Winning two majors in her career: Among the barrage of other such accomplishments that the 25-year-old achieved, the 25-year-old became the 9th pro in the history of the LPGA to win the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and the Chevron Championship in their career. She won her first major in 2021.

3. Matching her set record: Triumphing at the Chevron Championship meant that Korda matched the record that she set in 2021. She won the 2021 Meijer LPGA Classic, a preceding event before winning the Women’s PGA Championship. Before Chevron, the 25-year-old won the T-Mobile Matchplay event and hence became the first player since 2021 to win the event before a major.

4. Wins 4 consecutive times without skipping an event: The list of Korda rewriting history at the LPGA Tour does not stop there. The Chevron Championship, in all its glory, also allowed Korda to become the 5th LPGA Tour pro and the first after Lorena Ochoa (2008) to win four consecutive events without skipping any official event. The current run of the 2-time major champ also affected her career earnings and position.

5. Fastest to reach $2 million in a season: This year, Nelly Korda won five events and finished T16 at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions. All of her six performances amassed the 13-time LPGA Tour winner to earn, precisely, $2,424,216. With this, she became the fastest LPGA pro to break the $2 million threshold in a single season.

She is also leading the 2024 Official Money List, followed by Maja Stark ($815,380). Moreover, the added millions moved Korda’s career money way beyond $11 million, and it is now equal to $12,585,705.

With many events still to go, Nelly Korda is destined to move up and ahead in the 2024 season. Proving to many that she can bring the same attention to women’s golf as Caitlin Clark does for the WNBA!