BELLEAIR, Fla. — Nelly Korda didn’t know brother Sebastian had come out to watch her play on Sunday until she’d finished. He’d never seen her win on the LPGA before, and his presence at The Annika driven by Gainbridge at Pelican was a gift in itself. The siblings hadn’t seen each other since the summer, when Nelly went to watch him compete in the U.S. Open.
“For him to drive an hour and 40 with three holes remaining,” said Korda, “one, he was very confident in me, and, two, just really nice to have his support and be out here.”
Family and team mean everything to Korda, and she credits much of her monumental seven-win season to those who occupy her bubble. This week, she made certain to mention longtime physio Kim Baughman early and often. The pair have spent a great deal of time together in the lead-up to this event after Korda suffered a neck injury before she was scheduled to fly to Asia.
“I mean, it was three times a day that I was seeing her and she lives 40 minutes away,” said Korda. “So she was coming to my house three times a day. Before and after practice, I mean, to every work out. I think she needs a vacation that I will gladly pay for.”
Korda said she rushed her rehab to get back for this week. Now a three-time champion at Pelican Golf Club, the World No. 1 relishes playing close to home. Her first victory of the season was practically in the backyard of her parents’ house in Bradenton, Florida, just down the road from where she was born.
With her most recent victory on the LPGA coming in May, Korda said it felt like lifetimes have passed since a torrid streak that included five consecutive wins. Since that time, there was:
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the 10 at the U.S. Women’s Open
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the unbelievable 81 at the KPMG Women’s PGA
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the dog bite at a coffee shop
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final-round heartbreaks in Paris and St. Andrews
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migraines that led to neck pain and a forced two-month break this fall
Through it all, Korda showed an enviable resilience.
“She’s pretty badass,” said Sebastian, “she’s as tough as it gets.”
On Sunday in Belleaire, Korda began the final round one stroke back of Charley Hull and found herself further back early on Sunday after a front-nine 37. A string of five birdies from Nos. 11-15, however, put her in the driver’s seat, and she won with ease after a final-round 67. Korda’s 14 under total put her three clear of Hull, Jin Hee Im and Weiwei Zhang, who secured her card for 2025 with the effort.
Now a 15-time winner on the LPGA, Korda’s seventh victory of the season puts her in rare company as she joins Kathy Whitworth (1973), Nancy Lopez (1978, 1979) and Beth Daniel (1990) as the only Americans since 1970 with seven or more wins in a single season. Yani Tseng was the last player on tour to win seven times back in 2011.
“Feel like I definitely matured a lot,” said Korda. “I realized what really matters truly in life, you know, through the tough times. I would say you’re not really grateful for them. You’re like why me? Why is this happening to me? Here we go again.
“But you have to be grateful for those times because they do help you grow. They make you realize what really truly matters. The people that really truly look out for you and are there for you will stick through it with you.”
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: World No. 1 Nelly Korda wins The Annika golf tournament in Belleair
