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World No. 1 Nelly Korda is still searching for her first LPGA Tour victory of the season at this week’s AIG Women’s Open. But make no mistake, Korda, with her two major titles and 15 LPGA wins, doesn’t need anything to validate her career.
“I feel like I don’t really have anything more to prove to people, ever,” Korda said from Royal Porthcawl on Tuesday. “For me, it’s just I’m passionate about the game. I love the game. I love playing in these kind of conditions, testing my game, and getting to play against the best players in the world.
“Having something to prove to myself, I don’t think I really need to do that,” Korda continued. “It’s just enjoying it and being in the heat of the battle. Of course I want to accomplish more. There are goals that I have, goals that I set for myself.
“As to [making] myself feel whole about winning in every country that I play in, that’s definitely not my goal. My goal is to prepare the best that I can, enjoy myself, and hopefully be in contention. And then kind of enjoy the ride because, as many highs as I’ve had, I’ve had a lot of lows too with this sport. But I still come back and I still want to experience those highs in all the different circumstances, different golf courses, different conditions. And just continue to grow my love for the game.”
Korda celebrated her 27th birthday with her team on Monday night and undoubtedly will be gifted a few of her beloved Lego sets. She’d certainly love the gift of a win in the Women’s Open, where she has two top-10s in eight starts.
This season on the LPGA, there have been 20 different players who have won the first 19 events, the longest streak to start a season in the tour’s 75-year history. Korda has five top-10s and has made the cut in all four majors, but has yet to lift a trophy after having already won six of her seven titles in 2024 by this juncture.
While Korda still holds the world’s top ranking, she’s been on the verge of losing that to World No. 2 Jeeno Thitikul for about a month.
Last year in the AIG Women’s Open, Korda finished tied for second at St. Andrews behind winner Lydia Ko, and she’s played well on links courses. Asked about the test that first-time Women’s Open host Royal Porthcawl presents, Korda said: “It’s maybe a little bit more demanding off the tee. As in maybe with other links courses, you can hit driver and there are some bunkers in the way, but here you definitely can’t hit driver. It sometimes may be an iron off the tee, but then with the wind direction and the wind strength, there’s just way too much trouble on the fairway. Once you’re in one of those bunkers, like in all links golf courses, it’s just a pitch-out.
“Very crucial to stay in play on the tee, but you hit an iron off the tee, and you’re probably going to have a longer club into the green too. So it’s going to be very demanding off the tee and making sure that you’re in good spots going into the greens.”
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