LPGA Coverage Woes: Nelly Korda’s Bold ‘Trending in the Right Direction’ Claim Still Faces Brutal Reality Check

In her fifth start on the LPGA Tour this season, Nelly Korda etched her name in the history books of golf, joining the likes of Nancy Lopez and Annika Soresntam in winning five consecutive titles on the American women’s circuit. The historical feat took 18 years to occur on the LPGA Tour after the 2004–05 run of Sorenstam. It surely did raise excitement among the golf fans, but did it really?

The LPGA Tour had been suffering from a lack of adequate coverage from the various platforms. Though the women’s Tour has partnered with NBC and Golf Channel, the viewership issues of women’s golf don’t seem to go away. However, despite this, Korda thinks that women’s golf is trending in the right direction.

Nelly Korda loves the LPGA Tour’s current success

After celebrating her second major win with a champion dunk in the water, Nelly Korda sat down to answer a few questions at the post-match presser, during which she was asked about her thoughts on the state of American golf. The 25-year-old did not only talk about American golf but chose to speak about women’s golf as well.

Even though her historical run on the course has grabbed the attention of many in the golf world, it has not materialized when it comes to the LPGA Tour’s viewership status. For instance, the FORD Championship was televised only for 43 minutes with 5 commercial breaks. Even though there has been a lack of coverage of women’s golf, Korda is still optimistic about the future of the same as she commented, “Yeah, I think it’s trending in the right direction, not just American golf but women’s golf in general.” 

Nelly Korda spoke about the contribution that everyone has made to uplift the state of women’s golf in recent years and also acknowledged her fellow competitors who have also put forth stellar performances on the greens and have won majors and stated, “I think you see the past couple of major winners are — Alison won at the U.S. Open and Lilia won here last year. I think we’re just performing really well, and I think that’s everyone on Tour, honestly. “

Even though the 25-year-old has bagged five back-to-back wins, she did not hesitate to share how the competition is getting tougher each year. Rightly so, as the LPGA Tour has witnessed an influx of great golf talent in recent years, for instance, Rose Zhang or Gabriella Ruffles. Korda stated, “It’s so hard to win out here, and I say that with all honesty that it is really, really hard to win out here. The competition is getting harder and harder every year.”

However the rise in competition, per Korda, has benefitted women’s golf for the better, She reiterated her statements, saying, “I think women’s golf is just trending in a great direction, and hopefully we can showcase it to everyone, as well.” However, showcasing it to the world has been a problem that the LPGA Tour has unfortunately not solved. But Stacy Lewis has a solution that might solve the issue.

Stacy Lewis wants more from Nelly Korda than just wins

During one of the Chevron Championship’s press conferences, the former world no. 1 noted that the lack of viewership from the golf audience may get better if Nelly Korda, the star of the LPGA Tour, gave more time to be in the media. Stacy Lewis alluded to the fact that the American pro had the “responsibility” to help the LPGA Tour.

She said, “It’s saying yes. Continuing to play great golf though is number 1. That’s what helps out tour the most… She also, I would say, to do as much extra stuff as you can for us.” Though Korda hasn’t expressed her feelings about the new set of expectations set on her, the fans did agree that her current run can increase viewership if she’s in the limelight more.

The LPGA Tour, despite showing exceptional women, does tend to get less coverage compared to the PGA Tour or PGA Tour Champions. The viewership from the past decade has increased, but not at the same threshold as the men’s league.