Nelly Korda: Top facts you did not know about the Olympic champion golfer
Here's what you do know about Olympic champion golfer Nelly Korda: She's from a family of high-achieving athletes. Very high-achieving.
The 25-year-old American is the daughter of 1998 Australian Open tennis champion Petr Korda, and sister to Sebastian Korda, who has reached world No.23 in men's tennis, and Jessica Korda, who has nine Top 10 finishes at golf's five majors.
Nelly, 25, might have the bragging rights in the Korda family for now, having won gold at Tokyo 2020 in 2021 and claiming two major titles, the Women's PGA Championships in 2021 and the 2024 Chevron Championships at present count.
She's also reached the top ranking in women's golf - no big deal.
But Korda is also never one to shy away from an adventure, has an eye for fashion and style, keeps a tight inner circle and has added her name to women's golfing history books - one stroke at a time.
Find out more about the middle Korda below.
Nelly Korda: All in the family
OK... well, in case you didn't know, it's all in the family when it comes to the Kordas and professional sports.
Petr Korda and his wife, Regina Rajchrtová were both tennis players for their native Czechia, with Rajchrtova reaching a career-high ranking of No.26 in the world, advancing to the fourth round of the US Open twice (1989, 1991) and playing at Seoul 1988.
Petr reached world No.2 after his '98 AO triumph, beating Marcelo Rios in the final. He also reached the singles final at Roland-Garros in 1992 (losing to Jim Courier) and won the doubles in Melbourne in 1996 (alongside Stefan Edberg).
Sebastian, the youngest of the Korda kids, followed in his parents' footsteps as a pro tennis player, launching his career at the 2018 Australian Open by claiming the boys' singles title. He had his breakout major at the AO in 2023, too, beating Hubert Hurkacz and Daniil Medvedev on the way to the quarter-finals.
At 31, Jessica is the oldest of the three Kordas, with six wins on the LPGA Tour and those aforementioned nine Top 10 finishes at the majors, including a runner-up effort at the Chevron Championships in 2022 (with Jennifer Kupcho winning).
Drawing comparisons to Michelle Wie West
Korda recently was compared to the great Michelle Wie West, the 2014 U.S. Women's Open winner who collected five LPGA titles in her career and became a household name for success in her teens and outspokeness about women's golfers being able to compete with the men.
"Korda is becoming a marquee draw the tour hasn't seen since Wie West, with the crowds following Korda growing throughout the week to Sunday [at Chevron], which produced some of the largest galleries the LPGA has seen in recent years," Golf Digest explained.
Korda has the deals to match the Wie West heyday, too, signing with major clothing, golf, electronic, watch and investment sponsors, boasting nearly one million followers on Instagram.
Korda has done photoshoots for Vogue, been listed as one of Forbes' "30 under 30" and even launched her own golf apparel line with a clothing brand. In 2023, Forbes listed her as the 11th-highest paid female athlete in the world, with $8.2 in earnings.
Jumping into the history books
In April 2024, Korda captured a second major title by winning the Chevron, and did so by winning her fifth consecutive tournament. Korda became just the third woman in LPGA history to do so, joining Hall of Famers Nancy Lopez (1978) and Annika Sorenstam (2004-05).
She also became the first golfer - male or female - to win in five consecutive starts since the great Tiger Woods did so in 2007-08.
Her win at Chevron marked the first time that the world No.1 female golfer had captured a major title since Lydia Ko did so in 2016. She is currently (as of April 2024) the world No.1, having held that position for 42 weeks at publishing time. Korda's win at Chevron was the 13th in her career on the LPGA Tour.
'Nelly things' no more
There is a phrase in Korda's camp for when the golfer can get tight and nervous, which produces what they call "Nelly things." It's something Korda says she's actively worked against, but also spotlights just how talented she is that she can have errors in major situations and still come out on top.
"I heard some outside voices from other people saying that they don't know if I'll ever be able to win another major again," Korda said after winning at Chevron in 2024.
"And I stuck to working extremely hard on and off the golf course, and I'm so thankful to have the team that I do."
Nelly Korda survived a scary blood clot
After winning her breakout major and Olympic gold in 2021, Korda was out for six months following emergency surgery for a blood clot in her arm following a routine practice day in March of 2022.
Korda underwent surgery and was off the tour under July, when she returned for U.S. Women's Open, where she finished eighth.
Who's on Nelly Korda's team?
We've told you about the Korda crew, but Nelly's inner golf circle is tight, too. It includes:
- Kim Baughman, Nelly's physio
- Jason McDede, her caddy
- Chris Mullhaupt, her agent
- and Jamie Mulligan, her golf instructor
Korda calls McDede her "punching bag" on the golf course, but he has stuck by her through thick and thin: "He has been by my side for every single one of my wins out here," she said. "And in a sense he’s my punching bag... he’s my best friend and he’s my teammate."