Nelly Korda Bio
Nelly Korda (born July 28, 1998) is an American professional golfer who plays on the LPGA Tour. She is a multiple major champion whose career highlights include a gold medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics, more than 100 weeks as the number one player in the Women’s World Golf Rankings, and recognition as the LPGA Tour Player of the Year in 2024. She is widely regarded as one of the leading figures in women’s golf.
Born and raised in Bradenton, Florida, Korda comes from a family of professional athletes. She turned professional in 2016, won her first LPGA Tour title in 2018, and has since built one of the most successful résumés in the modern game. Her game combines length off the tee with a patient, strategic approach, and she is sponsored by TaylorMade, Nike, Delta Air Lines, and T-Mobile.
Early Life and Background
Nelly Korda was born on July 28, 1998, in Bradenton, Florida. She is the daughter of retired Czech professional tennis players Petr Korda and Regina Rajchrtová. Her father is best known for winning the 1998 Australian Open singles title, a triumph that has been a touchstone for the entire Korda family in Australia.
Korda grew up alongside her older sister, Jessica Korda, a professional golfer on the LPGA Tour, and her younger brother, Sebastian Korda, a professional tennis player. The household revolved around elite-level sport, and the children trained with discipline from a young age. Korda developed her own game at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, a renowned training ground for aspiring athletes across multiple disciplines.
As a junior, Korda showed her potential early. At the age of 14, she made the cut at the 2013 U.S. Women’s Open, finishing tied for 64th. She won the Kathy Whitworth Invitational the following year and earned an invitation to the 2014 Kraft Nabisco Championship as one of nine amateurs in the field. In 2015, she was victorious at the Harder Hall Invitational and the Yani Tseng Invitational, finished runner-up at the Rolex Girls Junior Championship, and was named an AJGA Rolex Junior All-American. She also represented the United States in the 2015 Junior Solheim Cup, helping the team become the first to win the event on European soil.
Path to Professional Golf
Korda turned professional in 2016 and quickly made her mark on the Symetra Tour, the developmental circuit for the LPGA Tour. Her first professional victory came at the Sioux Falls GreatLIFE Challenge, where she finished three strokes ahead of runner-up Wichanee Meechai. By the end of the season, she had finished ninth on the Symetra Tour money list, an achievement that secured her LPGA Tour card for 2017.
Her LPGA Tour debut came at the Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic in 2017, where she finished tied for fifth. She closed her rookie season with a tied-eighth finish at the CME Group Tour Championship, a strong result that signaled her readiness for the game’s biggest stages. That same year, she gained valuable experience in team competition, foreshadowing her later success in the Solheim Cup.
Over the following years, Korda built a steady résumé of top finishes, learning to manage the demands of full-time tour play. With the guidance of her caddie Jason McDede, whom she appointed in early 2018, she sharpened her course management and developed the calm, methodical style that has since defined her best golf.
Nelly Korda Career
Early Career (2016–2017)
Korda’s transition from amateur standout to professional golfer began on the Symetra Tour in 2016. Her breakthrough win at the Sioux Falls GreatLIFE Challenge announced her arrival, and her consistent play throughout the season earned her a place on the LPGA Tour. In her first season, she showed flashes of brilliance, most notably a tied-fifth finish in her debut event in the Bahamas.
Although she admitted that the travel demands of professional golf had been a challenge, her tied-eighth finish at the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship demonstrated the kind of closing strength that would become a hallmark of her career. By the end of 2017, Korda had established herself as one of the promising young talents on the LPGA Tour.
LPGA Tour Breakthrough (2018–2020)
In 2018, Korda broke through with her maiden LPGA Tour victory at the Swinging Skirts LPGA Taiwan Championship in Taoyuan, winning by two strokes. The win made her and her sister Jessica the third pair of sisters to have both claimed LPGA Tour titles, joining the Jutanugarn and Sörenstam sisters. Korda recorded seven top-10 finishes that season.
The following year, Korda won the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open by two strokes, completing a remarkable “Family Slam” in Australia claimed in part by her father, her sister Jessica, and her brother Sebastian. The victory lifted her into the top 10 of the Women’s World Golf Rankings for the first time. She made her Solheim Cup debut in 2019 at Gleneagles, partnering her sister Jessica in the first-ever sister pairing in the event’s history.
After the COVID-19 pandemic suspended play in March 2020, Korda returned with strong form, including a runner-up finish at the ANA Inspiration and a tied-eighth result at the U.S. Women’s Open. She was establishing herself as a consistent contender on the biggest stages.
2021: Major, Olympic Gold, and World Number One
Korda’s 2021 season marked her arrival as one of the game’s elite players. She opened the year with a three-shot win at the Gainbridge LPGA and later captured the Meijer LPGA Classic, becoming the first two-time winner of the season. In June, she won her first major at the Women’s PGA Championship at the Atlanta Athletic Club, finishing at 19-under-par, equaling the tournament record set by Inbee Park in 2015, and rising to number one in the world.
At the delayed 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Korda won the gold medal, becoming the first American woman to win individual Olympic gold in golf since Margaret Abbott in 1900. She closed the year with a playoff win at the Pelican Women’s Championship, her fourth victory of the season, making her the first American to win four LPGA Tour events in a year since Stacy Lewis in 2012. Korda finished the year as the world number one and posted the lowest scoring average on tour.
Setbacks and Return to Form (2022–2023)
Korda began 2022 by breaking the American record for most consecutive weeks at world number one, a mark previously held by Stacy Lewis. A blood clot in her arm forced her to withdraw from the Chevron Championship and required surgery. She returned to action in June, and in November she defended her title at the Pelican Women’s Championship, reclaiming the world number one ranking before finishing the season with eight top-10 results on the LPGA Tour.
In 2023, Korda signed endorsement deals with TaylorMade and Nike, and later with Delta Air Lines and T-Mobile. She regained the number one ranking with a third-place finish at the Chevron Championship and added a third Ladies European Tour title with a victory at the Aramco Team Series at the Centurion Club near London. At the Solheim Cup, she finished with a 2–2–0 record as Europe retained the trophy.
Dominant 2024 Season
Korda opened 2024 with a victory at the LPGA Drive On Championship in her hometown of Bradenton, beginning what would become one of the most dominant stretches in LPGA history. She followed with consecutive wins at the Fir Hills Seri Pak Championship, the Ford Championship, and the T-Mobile Match Play, becoming the first player to win four straight starts since Lorena Ochoa in 2008.
She extended that run to five consecutive victories with a two-shot win at the 2024 Chevron Championship, her second major title. Korda joined Annika Sörenstam and Nancy Lopez as the only players to win five consecutive starts on the LPGA Tour. She added a sixth win at the Mizuho Americas Open and a seventh at The Annika in November, earning the LPGA Tour Player of the Year award. She also won the Rolex Annika Major Award, the Race to the CME Globe, and the GWAA Female Player of the Year, ending the year as the world number one for the second time.
2025 Season
Korda began 2025 with strong performances but struggled to capture a victory. She finished runner-up at the Tournament of Champions, tied for second at the U.S. Women’s Open, and posted a fifth-place finish at the Women’s Scottish Open. In June, she reached 100 career weeks as the world number one, becoming the sixth female player to reach that milestone.
Without a win in 2025, Korda lost the world number one ranking to Atthaya Thitikul in August after holding the position for 71 consecutive weeks. She later withdrew from the United States team for the International Crown due to injury and concluded her LPGA Tour season with a third-place finish at the CME Group Tour Championship.
Notable Events and Milestones
Among the defining moments of Korda’s career are her 2020 Olympic gold medal, her 2021 major breakthrough at the Women’s PGA Championship, and her historic five consecutive victories to begin 2024. She has represented the United States in four Solheim Cups and was a member of the winning team in 2024, and she is a three-time LPGA Tour Player of the Year in 2024 and a multiple winner of the GWAA Female Player of the Year award.
Nelly Korda Career Wins
Korda has compiled 19 LPGA Tour victories, three Ladies European Tour titles, one Epson Tour win, and one other professional victory. Her triumphs span every major LPGA Tour event type, from season-opening championships to major championships and season-ending events.
LPGA Tour Highlights
Korda’s first LPGA Tour win came at the 2018 Swinging Skirts LPGA Taiwan Championship. She added further titles in 2019, including the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open and a successful defense of her Taiwan title. Her 2021 season produced four LPGA Tour wins, capped by the Pelican Women’s Championship. In 2022, she won the Pelican Women’s Championship for the second straight year, and in 2023 she added the Aramco Team Series London.
Her record-setting 2024 season included victories at the LPGA Drive On Championship, Fir Hills Seri Pak Championship, Ford Championship, T-Mobile Match Play, Chevron Championship, Mizuho Americas Open, and The Annika. She also won the Race to the CME Globe, the Rolex Annika Major Award, and was named LPGA Tour Player of the Year.
Other Wins and Performances
Beyond the LPGA Tour, Korda has won three times on the Ladies European Tour, most recently at the 2023 Aramco Team Series at the Centurion Club. She has also represented the United States in international team competition, including four Solheim Cup appearances and a successful run at the 2015 Junior Solheim Cup.
Nelly Korda Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Korda is part of one of the most accomplished athletic families in American sport. Her father, Petr Korda, won the 1998 Australian Open in tennis, while her mother, Regina Rajchrtová, also competed professionally on the women’s tennis tour. Her older sister, Jessica Korda, is a longtime LPGA Tour player, and her younger brother, Sebastian Korda, is a professional tennis player who won the 2018 Australian Open boys’ singles title. The Korda family has produced a remarkable “Family Slam” of Australian titles across tennis and golf.
Personal Life
Korda was in a relationship with professional ice hockey player Andreas Athanasiou. In November 2025, she announced her engagement to Casey Gunderson. In 2021, she was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list, and in 2024 Sportico ranked her as the eighth highest-earning female athlete in the world with total earnings of $14.4 million across prize money and endorsements. The American Junior Golf Association honors her legacy through the Nelly Invitational, a junior tournament held at The Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, Florida. Korda also made a cameo appearance as a doctor in the 2025 sports comedy film Happy Gilmore 2.
2025 Season Performance
Korda’s 2025 campaign was defined by consistent contention without a victory. She opened with a runner-up finish at the Tournament of Champions, finished tied for seventh at the LPGA Founders Cup, and posted a tied-second result at the U.S. Women’s Open, two strokes behind Maja Stark. Her steady play kept her inside the top 10 of the world rankings for most of the year.
In June, Korda reached the milestone of 100 career weeks as world number one, joining a small group of female players to achieve the feat. She later finished fifth at the Women’s Scottish Open. A winless 2025, combined with a tied-36th result at the Women’s British Open in August, allowed Atthaya Thitikul to overtake her for the world number one ranking after 71 consecutive weeks at the top.
She closed her LPGA Tour season with a tie for fourth at the Lotte Championship and a third-place finish at the CME Group Tour Championship. With several of her major rivals continuing to peak, Korda’s focus now turns to regaining her winning form and reasserting herself at the top of the rankings.