Is Nelly Korda Playing at the Fir Hills Seri Pak Championship? Exploring America’s Favorite’s Pursuit for World Crown

Nelly Korda skipped the LPGA Tour’s early Asian swing, having played last at the LPGA Drive-On Championship in January. Although the 25-year-old did appear at the elite Seminole Pro Member, it was a one-day affair, and she was more interested in catching up with her sister, Jessica Korda. 

Naturally, LPGA’s return to US soil has raised the question of when the former World No. 1 will tee up at her next competitive event. Can we see her at the Dio Implant LA Open, recently renamed the Fir Hills Seri Pak Championship?

Nelly Korda confirms her next stop

Korda will be playing at the LA event to regain her lost world-ranking crown. The Bradenton resident was usurped in last August. A winless 2023 kicked her out of the top five even; Korda slipped to sixth before the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship. 

However, the former world No. 1 is off to a promising start this year. After a failed title bid at the Hilton Grand Vacation Tournament of Champions, Korda came back to the winners’ circle at the LPGA Drive-On Championship amid cheers from the home crowd. 

Last year, Nelly Korda netted a T5 finish at the Dio Implant LA Open. The one-time Major winner skipped it in 2022, but before that, she had another top-10 (T10) finish here. This year, 33 of the top 50 are set to take part in the Palos Verdes event so far. Can Korda take back the spot of the sitting World No. 1, who is also in the field? 

What are the odds for Korda to reach the summit?

First off, Rolex has yet to release the field rating and points breakdown for the Fir Hills Seri Pak Championship. But, last year, Ruoning Yin earned 62 Rolex Ranking points for her single-stroke victory over Georgia Hall. Now, Nelly Korda is currently at No. 2 with an average point of 6.72, compared to Vu’s 6.82. If she manages to pull off another victory at the Fir Hills Seri Pak Championship, her total points will go up to 297.36 from 35 events, which puts her average points at 8.49.

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Whereas, even if Vu manages to come in second, she’ll only receive around 40 points, judging by last year’s ratings (37.2 points). That will put Vu at 371.18 points from 50 events, taking her average points to 7.42. So, Nelly Korda seems to have an edge over the current world no. 1 at the Fir Hills Seri Pak Championship. Furthermore, Vu has only one top-10 finish so far this year. The current No. 1 was struggling with health problems after withdrawing from her last two outings.

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