She’s the No. 1-ranked player in the world, she’s won seven times on the LPGA so far this season and as an added bonus, she’s featured in this year’s Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.
Korda, 26, won The Annika on Sunday to become just the third LPGA player to cross the $4 million threshold in earnings during a single season. At the CME Group Tour Championship, she’ll have a chance to double that number thanks to the $4 million first-place prize that’s up for grabs.
There are 20 different golfers who hoisted a trophy on the LPGA in 2024.
Nelly Korda is having a season for the ages.
With seven wins â and a chance for an eighth in the season finale â Korda is the first LPGA golfer to have seven wins in a season since Yani Tseng in 2011. She’s the first American to win seven events since Beth Daniel in 1990. Korda’s previous best single-season win total was four victories in 2021. She has 15 career wins.
There are three other golfers with three wins. There are five golfers in all with more than one win in 2024. In all, 20 different golfers won an LPGA tournament this year.
The amateur deadline to turn professional and compete in Final Qualifying was 5 p.m. ET Friday.
The reigning NCAA individual champion won’t return to Omni La Costa Resort & Spa’s North Course in May to defend her title.
Adela Cernousek, a senior at Texas A&M and 10th-ranked amateur in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, announced Monday she was turning professional. The decision comes on the heels of Cernousek advancing to final stage of LPGA Q-Series, with amateurs having to turn professional to compete in Final Qualifying, Dec. 5-9 at Magnolia Grove Golf Club in Mobile, Alabama.
Cernousek is the third amateur who advanced to Final Qualifying to turn professional, joining UCLA’s Zoe Campos and Mississippi State’s Julia Lopez Ramirez, who announced last week. Western Kentucky senior Catie Craig told Golfweek she is retaining her amateur status, as is fellow UCLA senior Caroline Canales in what was an 11th-hour decision.
The amateur deadline to turn professional and compete in Final Qualifying was 5 p.m. ET Friday, Nov. 15. Those who donât turn professional will receive Epson Tour status.
With Lopez Ramirez (No. 3 in WAGR), Campos (No. 8) and Cernousek (No. 10), college golf is set to lose three of its best seniors for the spring season.
Korda has gone over the $4 million mark for the season.
Nelly Korda banked $487,500 for winning the 2024 The Annika driven by Gainbridge at Pelican, her seventh LPGA victory this season. It’s also her 15th career win and she’s now surpassed the $13 million mark for her career. Her 15 wins has her tied for 20th all-time on the LPGA.
Korda has a chance at an eighth week next week in the season ending CME Group Tour Championship but for now, she can enjoy a three-shot win in a tournament she’s now won three times.
Hereâs a look at the prize money payouts for each player at the 2024 The Annika.
The Annika features some of the LPGA’s biggest names.
The 2024 Annika driven by Gainbridge at Pelican features some of the LPGA’s biggest names: Nelly Korda, Lydia Ko, Charley Hull, Minjee Lee, Rose Zhang and Lilia Vu. It’s hosted by perhaps the best womens golfer of all time, Annika Sorenstam.
Held at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Florida, it’s the penultimate event on the LPGA’s 2024 schedule.
As the final group chased what little daylight was left up the 18th hole, Charley Hull rinsed her approach at Pelican Golf Club while Nelly Korda suffered a disappointing three-putt.
“I was hitting a 7-iron to the green, and usually my 7-iron in this weather is like 165, 107 club. The sun then dropped, and it was kind of dark. Then it got the wind up, and I hit a really good 7-iron in and hit it pure. It just come up short in the water. Tricky little up-and-down,” said Hull.
“But my putt, I could barely see the hole. I couldn’t see the break or anything. So it was pretty dark to finish in.”
Korda called it poor planning, starting the third round so late at The Annika driven by Gainbridge at Pelican. The TV window was scheduled to finish at 5 p.m. ET but the final threesome, which teed off at 12:13 p.m., didn’t finish until 5:50 p.m. and Golf Channel stayed on air til the end.
Hull and Korda, two of the fastest players on tour, can’t be blamed. The final round is scheduled to finish at 4:30 p.m. ET on Golf Channel.
Hull paces the field at 12 under while Korda, a two-time winner of this event, sits one back with China’s Weiwei Zhang. While Korda looks to nab her seventh title of the season, Zhang is fighting for full status for the 2025.
“I just felt it’s amazing day today,” said Zhang, who carded a career-low 8-under 62. “I can’t say anything. Just I don’t know how to play that well today.”
There’s much on the line Sunday at Pelican, which year after year delivers a first-class finish. In addition to the trophy, players are battling for a spot in the 60-player CME Group Tour Championship as well as their status for next season. In addition, South Korea’s Jin Hee Im, who currently trails by three, looks to make a big move in the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year race.
Two-time major winner Brittany Lincicome, who lives in nearby St. Petersburg, will tee it up in her final round as a full-time player on Sunday. Lincicome carded a second consecutive 69 and holds a share of 36th. She tees off at 9:12 a.m. on Sunday alongside Ally Ewing and Jiwon Jeon.
Lincicome has her husband, Dewald Gouws, on the bag this week but plans to have her father, Tom, come inside the ropes Sunday to carry her home on the 18th. It will no doubt be an emotional finish for the mother of two who has long been a fan favorite.
Lee informed a rules official of the mistake on the second tee.
It was a strange Saturday for Australia’s Minjee Lee, who began the day with an unforced error after accidentally leaving an extra club, used as a training aid, in her golf bag. Lee informed a rules official of the mistake on the second tee at The Annika driven by Gainbridge at Pelican and was given a two-stroke penalty, which resulted in a double bogey on the first hole.
Because Lee discovered the club prior to hitting a shot on the second hole, she was assessed a penalty only for the first hole for exceeding the 14-club limit, a breach of Rule 4.1(b)1. The training aid was not used during the round.
Four birdies and an eagle later, Lee put herself back in contention until posting another double bogey on the par-4 17th and a bogey on the 18th. The two-time major winner carded a 1-under 69 in Round 3 and currently sits six back of leader Charley Hull, who paces the field at 12 under.
Lee carded rounds of 66-69-69 to hold a share of 11th.
Lydia Ko needed a tissue before leaving Golf Channelâs booth on Saturday at The Annika.
Lydia Ko needed a tissue before leaving Golf Channelâs booth on Saturday at The Annika driven by Gainbridge at Pelican. They were grateful tears after she watched the likes of Pat Bradley and Meg Mallon welcome her into the LPGA Hall of Fame.
The tribute ended with heartfelt words from older sister Sura.
âYou know, I’m so grateful to be able to know these amazing people, and to think of me so highly, I’m very thankful,â Ko told Golf Channelâs Morgan Pressel and Grant Boone.
âGolf, the results, the 22 wins, medals, they’re great; these kind of relationships are things that are going to be with me forever. Not that I’ll lose my memory one day, but if I do, these are the moments that I’ll remember.â
Ko, 27, shot a 5-under 65 in round three of The Annika to climb into the top 20. She earned the 27th point needed to qualify for the LPGA Hall of Fame at the Paris Summer Olympics. Soon after, she won the AIG Womenâs British Open at St. Andrews for her 22nd career LPGA title.
Ko became the 35th player to enter the LPGAâs Hall and only the 25th player to earn 27 HOF points. Nine women were inducted as honorary members (eight LPGA founders and beloved entertainer Dinah Shore).
And it wouldnât be a Ko show without a âyoungest toâ accolade. At 27 years, three months and 17 days, sheâs the youngest to get into the Hall under its current criteria.
âGolf has given me so much not only by results,â she said, âbut some of the relationships that I’ve made. Golf is actually a strong bond even between my husband and I. It’s crazy.
âI don’t know when my end is going to be, but I know that I’m closer to then than when I was 15 or when I first came on tour.
âI’m excited, but excited to give it my best and my everything until the very end. It’s definitely a love/hate relationship. Looking back, I think there is more to love for sure.â
Caitlin Clark amazed world No. 1 Nelly Korda at the LPGA pro-am on Wednesday.
While enjoying the WNBA offseason following a Rookie of the Year campaign with the Indiana Fever, Caitlin Clark brought out her golf game in front of a large gathering on Wednesday in a pro-am for the LPGA Tour in Belleair, Fla.
Clark split the 18 holes of The Annika by playing the front nine with world No. 1 golfer Nelly Korda and shot the back nine with one of the winningest female golfers of all-time in Annika Sorenstam.
During a brief interview with Golf Channel, Clark was asked if she learned any tips from golfing with Korda.
“Iâve watched and sheâs amazing,” Clark said. “But golf is hard.”
One of Clark’s many endorsement deals is with Indiana-based Gainbridge, the presenting sponsor of the LPGA’s penultimate tournament on the schedule. Clark also participated in a recent women’s leadership summit hosted by Gainbridge.
Korda said she has messaged with Clark on Instagram, but nothing surpasses spending time with her on the links.
“To see the influence that she has on people, bringing people out here, and to see how amazing of an influence she is just for sports, was really cool to see firsthand today,” Korda said.
Clark is no stranger to golf as she has admitted to enjoying the sport in her downtime and even played in the John Deere Classic pro-am last summer on the PGA Tour.
Korda spoke about Clark’s game by praising her ability to remain relaxed, which she attributed to her constant bombardment by sports media over the past two years.
“It was great to see how relaxed she was,” Korda said. “Obviously with the media attention she has gotten probably in the past year-and-a-half, two years, you can see how she’s comfortable playing in front of a larger crowd. And she was just really enjoying it. You can tell.”
Although most of the golfing day was a success for Clark, there was one shot from the tee box that she shanked into the gallery nearby. Clark was able to laugh off the poorly hit ball by firing off a second shot onto the fairway.
As for Clark, it appears she is enjoying her own leisure life during the offseason prior to the start of her second WNBA season with the Indiana Fever in May of 2025.
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Rarely is the LPGA at the forefront of anything, including the current surge in womenâs sports.
BELLEAIR, Fla. â In October 2021, Caitlin Clark sent a direct message to the LPGAâs Twitter account asking for one of its cotton-candy logoed hoodies designed by Michelle Wie West.
âThink you could hook me up w the best sweatshirt ever made?!!!â Clark asked. “Huge fan.”
Tour officials didnât actually see the message until Clark made her debut in an LPGA pro-am, and they scrambled to present her with the hoodie Wednesday morning on the first tee at Pelican Golf Club.
In creating the WNBA-like hoodie, which raised awareness for the tour and money for charity, Wie West said âWeâre often hidden; weâre often left out; weâre often not covered.â
That it took three years for the tour to even notice Clarkâs request is a terribly on-brand whiff.
Rarely is the LPGA at the forefront of anything, including the current surge in womenâs sports.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DCU2BVrRHGu/
Yes, purses on the LPGA are at an all-time high. Major championship prize funds alone have more than doubled since 2021 to nearly $48 million. Total prize money in 2024 topped $125 million, up more than 80 percent since 2021.
It might be tempting to underline those numbers and deem LPGA commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaanâs tenure thus far a success. The sport, after all, seems to center around money these days.
Except thatâs not the whole story. Far from it, in fact.
Coming off the dreadfully public transportation disaster at the Solheim Cup, which quickly escalated into a crisis-management catastrophe, itâs appropriate on the eve of the LPGAâs season-ender to dig a little deeper and attempt to answer a simple question: After more than three years at the helm, how is she doing?
First, it was always going to be hard to replace Mike Whan, a master communicator. The current USGA CEO, Whan announced his decision to step down as LPGA commissioner in January 2021 after a successful 11-year stint. Hired in May 2021 as the tourâs ninth commissioner, Marcoux Samaan didnât actually get to work in her new role until August, and the first thing on her 100-day agenda was to listen and learn.
The former Princeton athletic director got off to a painfully slow start.
Failure to breakthrough to the mainstream
At the 2023 CME Group Tour Championship, Marcoux Samaan called this a period of transformational growth for womenâs golf. And yet, thereâs little evidence that the LPGA has broken through into the mainstream at a time when female athletes are experiencing an unprecedented amount of exposure.
Even when World No. 1 Nelly Korda got off to an historic start to the 2024 season, her fame didnât exactly explode. Domestically, the tour still lacks a bona fide household name.
There are bright spots, to be sure. Such as next weekâs $4 million winnerâs check, the largest prize in womenâs sports history. Marcoux Samaan and CME Group Chairman and CEO Terry Duffy endured a rocky time two years ago when a long list of LPGA players no-showed an important dinner. An embarrassed Duffy blamed leadership, telling Golfweek he was âexceptionally disappointed.â
One year later, however, Duffy signed a contract extension and poured more money into the season-ending event. Duffy and the tour worked it out, but the black eye said much about Marcoux Samaanâs ability to relate to the gameâs power players.
Players appreciate the focus on missed-cut money, free hotels and an increased health insurance stipend. But thereâs a common refrain among many in and around the tour that they canât articulate Marcoux Samaanâs overall vision. And when it comes to big-picture issues â such as the tourâs Gender Policy or its dealings with Golf Saudi and the potential of an LET merger â the tour lacks transparency and is slow to act.
When there werenât enough buses on Friday morning to transport fans at the Solheim Cup, resulting in wait times of more than two hours, the tourâs communication with the public and media was virtually non-existent for most of the day. It wasnât until late Friday evening that the tour publicly addressed the issue with a plan (that was quickly deleted and replaced with a scaled-down statement). The commissioner didnât take questions until the following morning.
What started out as a bus shortage turned into a crisis of leadership.
Promise of growth not being achieved
Itâs not that the LPGA is struggling to stay afloat â which has been the case in the past â itâs that the tour’s not experiencing the transformational growth Marcoux Samaan preached.
The departure of Cognizant, a Fortune 100 company that was bullish on the LPGA from the start â signaled a red flag. The hope was that Cognizantâs leadership would sing the LPGAâs praises to other blue-chip companies and lead to organic growth.
Instead, theyâre out after title-sponsoring four editions of the event, leaving the tour scrambling to back its own Founders Cup as the LPGA celebrates 75 years.
In addition, stops that have been on tour for decades in Portland and Toledo have been on life support now for several seasons. For reference, the inaugural Portland Ladies Classic dates back to 1972. The Toledo stop began in 1984.
As the LPGA looks to add to the number of events it owns and operates, it has become increasingly clear that the tour lacks the resources needed to make what it currently runs â such as the Solheim Cup and Founders Cup â a success. The tour has invested heavily in boosting its staff in recent years.
A demanding job that requires strong relationships
Thereâs no question that leading the LPGA is one of the most difficult and demanding jobs in sports. Thereâs no time to relax. Itâs a constant turnover of sponsors, staff and talent. Just as one win goes up on the board, a fire breaks out somewhere else.
It takes help to be successful at this job, which requires strong relationships. And thatâs probably where Marcoux Samaan, whose contract expires in the summer of 2026, currently struggles the most. She hasnât won over enough key people in the event business, the player body, the press or inside her own headquarters. Thereâs a profound lack of confidence and inspiration among those in her charge.