The sweltering sun escaped the clouds and beat down in Kawagoe City, Saitama in Japan. On August 7th 2021, Olympic golfer Nelly Korda approached the green at the eighteenth hole of the Kasumigaseki Country Club golf course. The heat encouraged a drop of sweat to run down her forehead. Golfing is nothing new to Korda, but the stakes could not be higher. She is competing in the 2020 Olympics, and this shot may determine her victory. The day had gotten off to a rough start due to rain delaying the start of the round, but the skies had just begun to clear. Korda’s heart palpitated as she read the green and lined up the putt. Korda tapped the ball and sank the shot, securing her gold medal.
Korda was born in Bradenton, Florida on July 28, 1998. Her parents, Petr Korda and Regina Rajchrtova, played professional tennis for Czechia in the 1980’s and 90’s, competing in the tennis Olympics and Grand Slam competitions. After retiring from the sport, they left Czechoslovakia and became United States citizens in hopes of building a family in the states. Growing up, Korda’s family led an extremely athletic lifestyle which would lay the foundation for the Korda children’s futures. Both Korda’s siblings are also professional athletes. Korda’s little brother, Sebastian, plays tennis, like his parents. Her older sister Jessica is also a professional golfer who plays on the LPGA tour herself.
Korda received her first taste of golf when she was just two years old, and credits her sister for introducing her to the game. In an interview, she recalled hitting plastic clubs alongside her sister at the driving range. Her father encouraged the sport for his children, viewing golf as a way for the entire Korda family to spend quality time together. Even now, Korda and her family practice as a unit, and support each other through competition. Korda’s parents fully supported her golf career as a young athlete, and their experience in the professional sports world helped her learn the ropes early on. At the time most of her peers were starting fifth grade, Korda won her first tournament at 9 years old.
In 2015, Korda qualified for the U.S. Women's Open Championship, and she was a part of the US Junior Solheim Cup. Additionally, in 2015, Korda competed in the Harder Hall Invitational, PING Invitational, and was a 2015 AJGA Rolex Junior All-American player. Her early start in golf gave her a head start in figuring out her own personal technique that would lead her to golfing stardom later in her career.
Korda’s childhood education came from the IMG Academy, a reputable sport oriented school in Bradenton, Florida. At the Academy, Korda was able to practice her golf game for hours a day, and was taught by distinguished golf instructors. Therefore, it is certain that this golf-focused education made its impact on Korda’s success.
In 2016, Korda went pro at eighteen years old. Her first pro event was the Symetra Tour, and she won the Sioux Falls GreatLIFE Challenge. Korda did not attend college, instead deciding to focus on golf. In 2018, she won her first LPGA tour event in Taoyuan, Taiwan, called the Swinging Skirts LPGA Taiwan Championship. This was also the time she started working with caddie Jason McDede. A caddie in golf is essentially an assistant to a player who helps by carrying clubs and explaining the course, often giving advice. Caddies are valuable to golfers because they offer an additional perspective on every shot and they take care of the golfer’s needs while playing. McDede has been Korda’s caddie for almost 6 years now, and is known for his positivity on the course. Accordingly, Korda often looks to him for guidance and comfort when in tough positions.
In 2021, Korda secured first place in her first major competition at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at the Atlanta Athletic Club. It was at this time that she was first named LPGA No.1 player in the world’s women's golf rankings. Though this ranking has fluctuated throughout Korda’s career, it continues to find its way back to her. For example, on October 24 of 2021, Nelly lost the title to golfer Ko Jin-young but then regained the title by November 8th 2021.
The 2020 Olympics was an emotional win for Korda because it was a sum of all her hard work and talent manifesting into a mammoth accomplishment. Korda, in an interview, expressed that the relief and excitement of this day was like a weight off of her shoulders. She won by one stroke against Mone Inami of Japan, shooting 17 under par overall. She is the first woman in the U.S. to earn gold in golf since Maragret Abott in 1900.
Additionally, Korda recalls the unusual atmosphere of the 2020 Olympics, which occurred during the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. The competition itself was postponed until the following year in an effort to reduce the outbreak and follow health and safety guidelines. Spectators were not allowed, but volunteers quickly became the fan-like support system of a golf competition. Her family has been a constant support throughout Korda’s golf journey, especially her sister Jessica. After Korda’s winning shot of the Olympic round, the two sisters reunited to share a hug.
2021 was Korda’s breakout year, and she was golfing non-stop. One of the many notable occasions of that year was when Korda won the Pelican Women’s Championship in Belleair, Florida. She went on to win four more times in that LPGA Tour season, a feat that hadn’t been achieved by an American since golfer Stacey Lewis in 2012.
Following Korda’s success in 2021, she went through a rough patch of competition, and suffered some health concerns. At the start of 2022, she tied for 20th place at the Gainbridge LPGA event at the Boca Rio Tournament. This was not the expectation for Korda, based on her previous habits on the golf course. As a result, after almost seven months straight, she lost her No.1 ranking. In March of 2022, Korda suffered a blood clot injury and was unable to play in the Chevron Champion, the first major championship of the year. After recovering, Korda re-entered the U.S. Open and won the Pelican Women’s Championship of 2022. As a result, Korda held the No.1 ranking for two weeks before being replaced by golfer Lydia Ko.
Korda admits to feeling both external and internal pressure during her golf competitions. In the past, she has spoken out about the mental fitness aspect of golf, and how the sport continues to affect her mental health. That, combined with the expectation from her fans, has had some influence on Korda’s periodical pauses from play. She has shared that this is a continuing journey, and she is learning more about her relationship with the game every round. Korda is not afraid to admit when she needs a break from competition, a healthy habit that many athletes have not taken seriously. Furthermore, Korda’s transparency and authenticity has only grown her base of supporters, and normalizes mental health within the sports world.
In April of 2023, Korda procured third place at the Chevron Championship, shooting her to the No.1 ranking once again. Also, in the same year, she competed in the Ladies European Tour and won in the Aramco Team Series at the Centurion Club. In 2023, she signed sponsorship and endorsement deals with TaylorMade, Nike, Delta Airlines, and T-Mobile.
The inspiration that Korda sparks for many young golfers is shown through her fan engagement. Korda greatly appreciates those that follow her golf journey, and believes that they inspire her to play at her best. She hopes that she pushes youth to pick up some clubs and try the game for themselves. Golf is a heavily male-dominated sport, and Korda’s mounting successes have helped popularize women's golf for the next generation of female golfers.
Thus far, in 2024, Korda has returned to the No. 1 ranking spot. She also earned her second major title at this year's Chevron Championship. In addition, she has won five competitions back to back, something only two other women's golfers on the LPGA tour have done before. She is also competing in the 2024 Olympics in Paris, France, starting in early August. Korda is hoping to bring home another gold medal for the United States.
Korda has been dating partner Andreas Athanasiou since 2019. Athanasiou plays in the NHL for the Chicago Blackhawks. Though they show support for each other during competitions, they are mostly private about their relationship.
One of Korda’s greatest accomplishments that cannot be measured is her perseverance and ability to deal with the pressures that the game creates, especially as a woman. Her desire to discuss the hardships of the game humanizes her and makes others feel seen. Her honesty, boldness, and pure talent are pushing aside room for a new era of women’s golf. Korda’s story impacts women worldwide because she is motivating young girls to pick up clubs and play. As golf is an extremely male-dominated sport, it can feel uncomfortable to get involved or be confident on the course as a woman. Therefore, the success of Korda, along with other major female golfers worldwide, has given women the inspiration to think that they can achieve success in golf. Even if they aren’t playing on the LPGA tour, Korda is encouraging beginner golfers through her continuing narrative. Korda’s golf career has only just begun, and it is certain that she will continue to make history with her consistency on the golf course.
Why Did I Choose to Research Nelly Korda?
I'd grown accustomed to seeing an absurd amount of male golfers on my social media feed and in sports news that I started to wonder…where on Earth are all the professional female golfers? It turns out they were being hidden by the internet’s debatably misogynistic algorithms. The reason for the abysmal amount of female representation in professional golf has many layers, but as an amateur golfer myself I wished to uncover the story of a talented woman within the sport. My golf skills are sub-“par” at best, (see what I did there?), but I find it incredibly interesting to learn about a woman who is excelling in a sport that has mostly been played by men for hundreds of years. When I visit the golf course, most of the time I am one of few women, and sometimes the only woman at all. Even when you are undoubtedly safe and not in any direct form of opposition, this can still feel intimidating at times. Zooming out from my personal experience, women athletes receive less than half the coverage that male athletes receive, and golf is no different. The mission of iFeminist is to uncover and highlight unknown or underrepresented women within history, and Nelly Korda is an athlete who is currently making huge strides within the golf world, and often doesn’t get recognized for her accomplishments as much as her male counterparts.
Works Cited
Balog, T. (2013, June 26). Sister Act at U.S. Women’s Open. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/2013/06/27/sister-act-at-us-womens-open/29184156007/
Caruso, S. (2024, May 30). All About Nelly Korda’s Parents, Petr Korda and Regina Rajchrtová. Peoplemag. https://people.com/all-about-nelly-korda-parents-8655974
Chasing72Golf. (2023, May 1). Nelly Korda: The Purest Swing in Golf (A Short Film Documentary). YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIT1NiXZLNk
Ferguson, D. (2021, June 26). Nelly Korda ties Women’s PGA record, takes 2nd round lead at KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. CBC. https://www.cbc.ca/sports/golf/nelly-korda-ties-womens-pga-record-takes-lead-second-round-pga-championship-1.6079213
Game, F. (2021, October). Spotify. Open.spotify.com. https://open.spotify.com/episode/2pgqnYvtPuLBEom6PVqd5o?si=LJm5oEYYTrOg-Co7e2AmsQ
Glasspiegel, R. (2024, June 28). Nelly Korda bitten by dog as frustrating summer continues. New York Post. https://nypost.com/2024/06/28/sports/nelly-korda-bitten-by-dog-as-frustrating-summer-continues/
Golf.com. (2024, January 11). MEET NELLY KORDA | The Scoop. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96sLN-Qjlek&t=585s
Levinsohn, D. (2021, August 7). Nelly Korda wins gold as Team USA dominates golf in Tokyo | NBC Olympics. Www.nbcolympics.com. https://www.nbcolympics.com/news/nelly-korda-wins-gold-team-usa-dominates-golf-tokyo#:~:text=Korda%20hit%20a%20straight%20shot
Lewis, R. (2021, August 7). U.S. Golfer Nelly Korda Wins Olympic Gold, Completing U.S. Golden Sweep. NPR. https://www.npr.org/sections/tokyo-olympics-live-updates/2021/08/07/1025732766/u-s-golfer-nelly-korda-wins-olympic-gold-completing-u-s-golden-sweep
LPGA: The numbers behind Nelly Korda’s five-win streak are truly spectacular. (2024, May 6). Golfweek. https://golfweek.usatoday.com/lists/lpga-numbers-behind-nelly-kordas-spectacular-five-win-streak/
LPGA. (2024, April 19). Nelly Korda R2 Quote | Message received, Nelly 🫶 We’ve come to expect nothing less from you 👏 | By LPGAFacebook. Www.facebook.com. https://www.facebook.com/LPGA/videos/nelly-korda-r2-quote/707969537960677/
Moeslein, A. (2021, August 7). Golfer Nelly Korda Just Made History at the Tokyo Olympics. Glamour. https://www.glamour.com/story/golfer-nelly-korda-made-history-at-the-tokyo-olympics
Nelly Korda: bio: Age, height, hometown, family, fun facts, medals, records, results, highlights, stats | NBC Olympics. (n.d.). Www.nbcolympics.com. Retrieved July 23, 2024, from https://www.nbcolympics.com/news/nelly-korda-meet-athlete
Nelly Korda. (2022, April 4). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelly_Korda
Nichols, B. A. (2024, April 21). Nelly Korda wins second major – and record-tying fifth LPGA title in a row – at 2024 Chevron Championship. Golfweek. https://golfweek.usatoday.com/2024/04/21/chevron-championship-2024-nelly-korda-wins-second-major-fifth-lpga-title-in-a-row/
Overview | LPGA | Ladies Professional Golf Association. (n.d.). LPGA. https://www.lpga.com/players/nelly-korda/98350/overview
Ph.D, J. H. (2022, February 28). Nelly Korda – Preparation. Character and Leadership. https://characterandleadership.com/nelly-korda-preparation/#:~:text=Nelly%20then%20followed%20in%20her
Wikipedia Contributors. (2024, July 2). Golf at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Women’s individual. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golf_at_the_2020_Summer_Olympics_%E2%80%93_Women%27s_individual
This article was published on 8/12/24