Nelly Korda just keeps proving that the most exciting golfers right now are in the LPGA

Nelly Korda is a beast. There is just no other golfer igniting the field like she is right now. While the men continue to sort out their differences (I’m talking to you, PGA and LIV), there is a female phenom who is just focusing on her sport.

And dominating it.

“I just get back in my bubble” is Nelly Korda’s catch phrase for maintaining her focus. It’s her way of refocusing after a missed opportunity on the course, and it’s her methodology for preparing for the next tournament.

And it’s working.

With her win at the Chevron Championship, she joins elite company with LPGA legends Annika Sorenstam and Nancy Lopez.

Nelly Korda receives praise from LPGA legends

“I’m so proud of her, to win five times in a row,” said 72-LPGA winner Sorenstam, who called in to the Golf Channel desk afterwards from the Invited Celebrity Classic golf event she had just participated in, placing fifth. Like Sorenstam in 2005, Korda clinched her fifth successive win at the Chevron.

“I’m so happy for women’s golf,” Sorenstam said about Korda’s star power in the game. “All eyes are on the LPGA,” she added.

The Chevron win was Korda’s second major, adding to her 2021 Women’s PGA Championship, with a -13 final score, two shots below Sweden’s Maja Stark.

“My first-ever major, competing in a major, was at the U.S. Women's Open at Sebonack, and that was when I dreamt of winning major championships,” said world No. 1 Korda, according to the LPGA. “To have two under my belt now is a dream come true.”

Due to inclement weather from the day before, Korda had to finish her third round early in the morning. She took a two hour break before coming out for the final round, starting out strong with three birdies on the front nine.

However, the pressure of what was on the line perhaps got to the 25-year-old once she entered the back nine. Her customary composure gave way to nerves as she bogeyed holes 11 and 15. Even amidst the strain, her champion mindset pulled her through, with the American golfer almost hitting a spectacular hole-in-one on the 17th. Korda ended up making par there, but she also finished with panache by birdying the final hole for her second major.

"That felt like the longest back nine of my entire life ... But happy to get the win," Korda said during the NBC interview afterwards, via ESPN.

Korda kept the crowd enthralled all day, as she has all year. Out of the 13 LPGA titles that she owns, five of them have occurred in 2024, beginning with the LPGA Drive On Championship in January. Two months later, she went on to collect her next two trophies at the Fir Hills Seri Pak and Ford Championships. Just two weeks ago, Korda achieved title No. 4 at the T-Mobile Match Play in Las Vegas.

It’s not just the number of wins that Korda’s amassed during her dominant streak, but the variety of play she’s done it with. Two of the wins were the result of playoffs, she won the Ford event in classic fashion with two strokes, same with the Chevron major on Sunday. The Match Play event was yet again a completely different format. All wins, no sweat.

“She’s just a great player and a great champion,” said 48-LPGA winner Nancy Lopez, who achieved the five-in-a-row feet in 1978. Lopez also served as a mentor to Korda as Solheim Cup captain, and she often texts with the two-time major winner.

Lopez dialed into the Golf Channel news desk afterwards and talked about Korda’s humble attitude that she credited with keeping her grounded throughout her success. She also talked about her initial reaction after watching Korda play when she was younger: “When Nelly finalizes realizes how good she is, she’s just going to dominate the LPGA tour.”

It’s a testament to Korda’s popularity that her peers in the game have nothing but admirable praise for the grounded golfer. It’s a quality that has also resonated strongly with the public. In some ways it reminds me of the confident, but humble Roger Federer at the beginning of his dominant period in tennis.

Nelly Korda has dealt with her share of adversity

Despite Korda’s accolades, she said she was plagued by doubts the last few years, when she suffered the health scare with a blood clot in her arm in 2022 and the back injury in 2023.

“It’s so tough going through injuries,” said Korda, who called into the Golf Channel desk later in the evening on Sunday. “One was a health scare and that was hard to process. I felt like I couldn’t catch a break,” after dealing with back pain that forced her out of events beginning in May of last year. “I learned so much about myself, to not listen to those [negative] voices, sticking to the process, to trust my team and be in my own little bubble.”

Confidence gradually came back to the golfer, beginning with her win on the Ladies European Tour in July of last year. Still, she acknowledged that the prospect of winning her second major weighed on her mind the closer to she got to the final hole on Sunday.

“I was feeling a lot of emotions,” Korda admitted. “Sometimes when you want it so much, you start to make mistakes,” she added, saying that her caddie, Jason McDede helped keep her grounded.

“Jason’s my go-to. He’s my best friend out there. He’s the best teammate.”

Despite her nerves, Korda managed to steel her nerves and sealed her victory with another smooth birdie on the 18th, celebrating the win with the traditional dip in the nearby pond.

Korda’s also the reigning gold medalist. Considering that we are heading into another Summer Olympics, a resurgent Korda has an excellent chance to repeat her success from the Tokyo Games.

“I'm going to enjoy this right now, and then I'll think about that,” said Korda. “It's been an amazing time. Hopefully, I’ll keep the streak alive. But I've been so grateful to compete week in and week out and get the five in a row.”

The next LPGA tournament, the JM Eagle LA Championship, will take place starting April 25.