Whoa, Nelly!
“It’s been so great watching her,” added
Jessica. “Just seeing how she carries her-
self and how she represents herself has
been fantastic.”
Those are glowing words by a player
who won her season-opening event at the
2018 Honda LPGA Thailand and went on
to add four more top-10 finishes last year,
including three top-eight finishes at three
major championships.
But it was Nelly who won late in the
2018 season with a November victory at
the Swinging Skirts LPGA Taiwan Cham-
pionship. And it was Nelly who converted
her strong finish last year right into a solid
start in 2019.
“I sat down with my coach last year and
talked about the [2018] season and how
good of an ending I’d had,” said Nelly, 20,
of Bradenton, Fla. “Then we talked about
what I needed to do to prepare for the next
year. One of my main goals this year is to
stay consistent and to just stay healthy
and happy.”
Nelly Korda’s consistency during the first
three months of the LPGA season catapult-
ed her to the top of six LPGA statistical cat-
egories, including Player of the Year points,
U.S. Solheim Cup points, the 2019 LPGA
money list, and birdies. She also ranked
second in scoring average (68.35), greens in
regulation (81.6 percent), and rounds under
par (18 of 20), building a sturdy foundation
for the start of her season.
“So far, I’ve really enjoyed my time on
the golf course and obviously playing well
“One of my main goals this year
is to stay consistent and to just
stay healthy and happy.”
—Nelly Korda
18
V I R G I N I A G O L F E R | M AY / J U N E 2 0 1 9
helps,” she added. “But I worked hard on my
fundamentals with my coach during the off
season and it seems to be paying off.”
One of the things the younger Korda has
learned to do is to embrace the fact that
perfection in golf is not a realistic expec-
tation. Her coach, as well as her father,
former tennis Australian Open winner
Petr Korda, have repeatedly stressed that
to the young pro.
“I want to practice perfectly and I want
to play perfectly all the time,” admitted
Nelly. “[But] I’m starting to get the grasp
that you can’t be perfect all the time.”
The young Korda has also refocused her
practice to better prepare for the specifics of
each tournament venue. Prior to the start of
each tournament, her early-week practice is
designed to familiarize her with the course’s
specific grass, terrain and climate.
“I make sure I do any drills and get
my fundamentals down,” she said, pay-
ing careful attention to the way the ball
performs in the grasses early each week.
“Then I make a game plan for the week.”
Nelly spent her first professional year
on the LPGA’s pipeline Symetra Tour in
vsga.org
Nelly and sister Jessica have
golfed together since they
were young girls and still
support each other today.