Tag: Nelly Korda

More Caitlin Clark? Golf Channel obliges with beefed up pro-am coverage for The Annika

Her appearance in the pro-am has made this a major TV event.

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For those wondering how wide Caitlin Clark’s impact on the world of women’s sports has reached, look no further than the updated Golf Channel schedule for the LPGA’s upcoming The Annika driven by Gainbridge at Pelican Golf Club in Florida.

Not only is Clark scheduled to play in the pro-am competition on Wednesday, Nov. 13, but she’s also set to be a panelist at the Women’s Leadership Summit on Tuesday, Nov. 12.

“I love golf, so the opportunity to play in the pro-am for a tournament with a legend like Annika Sorenstam’s name on it is so exciting,” Clark said in a release. “Gainbridge is a leader in supporting women’s sports, and that’s clear through their commitment to me, this event, Billie Jean King, and Parity Week. I’m looking forward to seeing all the LPGA players on the driving range, being part of the Women’s Leadership Summit, and, of course, teeing it up in the pro-am with Annika.”

Clark is a fellow Gainbridge ambassador, so it made sense to have her be a part of one of the LPGA’s newest and biggest events.

But her appearance in the pro-am has made this a major TV event as well. Clark will play the front nine with the world’s No. 1 player, Nelly Korda, and then the back nine with the tournament’s namesake, Annika Sorenstam. Andretti Indycar drivers Colton Herta and Marcus Ericsson will walk inside the ropes as guest caddies.

More: The Annika and Pelican Golf Club team up to create ‘Florida Strong’ T-shirts to support hurricane recovery

Because of increased attention due to Clark’s participation, the folks at Golf Channel — a wing of NBC Sports — have beefed up the coverage of the early portions of the week. A release from the tournament explained the enhanced schedule:

Golf Channel will expand its Golf Today studio programming to start at 11 a.m. ET on Wednesday and will include highlights, live tournament look-ins and expanded tournament preview coverage of Clark’s Wednesday Pro-Am. Throughout the day, video highlights and reports will be posted on GOLF Channel, NBC Sports, LPGA Tour and The ANNIKA social media channels, including a live stream of Clark’s warm-up range session on Wednesday, an in-round-walk-and-talk with the WNBA star and more.

Clark is also scheduled to be a panelist at the Women’s Leadership Summit on Tuesday (Nov. 12) at Pelican Golf Club, taking place from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. ET. LPGA.com and NBCSports.com are scheduled to live stream the summit in its entirety.

The penultimate event of the 2024 LPGA Tour season and hosted by World Golf and LPGA Hall-of-Famer Annika Sorenstam, The ANNIKA will take place at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Fla., where the field will compete for a share of the $3.25 million purse, one of the largest on the LPGA Tour.

The field is loaded for the event with five players who have held the top spot in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings all expected to play and all but one of the 24 players in the 2024 Solheim Cup in attendance.

First look at Nelly Korda in Sports Illustrated’s 2025 Swimsuit Issue is here

On Thursday, we got a first look at Korda’s photoshoot.

Last week, Sports Illustrated announced that world No. 1 Nelly Korda would be featured in its 2025 Swimsuit Issue.

Korda, 26, has won six times across 14 starts so far this season, including the Chevron Championship in April, the LPGA’s first major of the year. The world’s best player was forced to miss the tour’s Asia swing due to a minor neck injury, but she was recently cleared to practice and is expected to return for The Annika at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Florida, on Nov. 14-17. It would be her first start since a T-5 finish at the Kroger Queen City Championship in September.

On Thursday, we got a first look of Korda’s photoshoot.

All the LPGA Players of the Year winners, from Kathy Whitworth to Nelly Korda

In 2024, Nelly Korda won the award for the first time.

While the PGA Tour uses a vote, the LPGA has always favored a points system for its Rolex Player of the Year award. Introduced in 1966, Kathy Whitworth dominated the trophy in its infancy, winning seven times in the first eight years. From 1995 to 2005, Annika Sorenstam won it eight times. In 2024, Nelly Korda won the award for the first time.

Players must finish in the top 10 of official LPGA events to earn points, which are doubled at major championships.

Here’s the complete list of Rolex Player of the Year winners:

Year Player
1966 Kathy Whitworth
1967 Kathy Whitworth
1968 Kathy Whitworth
1969 Kathy Whitworth
1970 Sandra Haynie
1971 Kathy Whitworth
1972 Kathy Whitworth
1973 Kathy Whitworth
1974 JoAnne Carner
1975 Sandra Palmer
1976 Judy Rankin
1977 Judy Rankin
1978 Nancy Lopez
1979 Nancy Lopez
1980 Beth Daniel
1981 JoAnne Carner
1982 JoAnne Carner
1983 Patty Sheehan
1984 Betsy King
1985 Nancy Lopez
1986 Pat Bradley
1987 Ayako Okamoto
1988 Nancy Lopez
1989 Betsy King
1990 Beth Daniel
1991 Pat Bradley
1992 Dottie Mochrie
1993 Betsy King
1994 Beth Daniel
1995 Annika Sorenstam
1996 Laura Davies
1997 Annika Sorenstam
1998 Annika Sorenstam
1999 Karrie Webb
2000 Karrie Webb
2001 Annika Sorenstam
2002 Annika Sorenstam
2003 Annika Sorenstam
2004 Annika Sorenstam
2005 Annika Sorenstam
2006 Lorena Ochoa
2007 Lorena Ochoa
2008 Lorena Ochoa
2009 Lorena Ochoa
2010 Yani Tseng
2011 Yani Tseng
2012 Stacy Lewis
2013 Inbee Park
2014 Stacy Lewis
2015 Lydia Ko
2016 Ariya Jutanugarn
2017 Sung Hyun Park and So Yeon Ryu
2018 Ariya Jutanugarn
2019 Jin Young Ko
2020 Sei Young Kim
2021 Jin Young Ko
2022 Lydia Ko
2023 Lilia Vu
2024 Nelly Korda

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Nelly Korda earns first LPGA Player of the Year title with three events remaining

Korda’s historic season included six victories in her first eight starts.

Nelly Korda’s season isn’t over yet, but the LPGA announced Monday the World No. 1 has already clinched the Rolex Player of the Year award. Korda’s historic season, which included six victories in her first eight starts to 2024, makes her the 27th different player to win the award since its inception in 1966.

The Player of the Year award comes with an LPGA Hall of Fame point, bringing 26-year-old Korda to 18 of the 27 needed to qualify.

“Winning the Rolex Player of the Year means so much to me,” Korda said in a release. “This season has had its highs and challenges, and I’m just really grateful for the people around me who have helped me get here. It’s been a team effort, and I’m proud to share this moment with them.”

Nelly Korda celebrates after winning the 2024 Chevron Championship at The Club at Carlton Woods in The Woodlands, Texas. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

Korda follows in the footsteps of No. 2 Lilia Vu, who won the award last year. It marks the first time that Americans have won back-to-back Player of the Year titles since Betsy King (1993) and Beth Daniel (1994).

Players accrue points in the POY race for top-10 finishes only. Korda has nine top-10s in 14 starts this season. Ayaka Furue had to win last week’s Toto Japan Classic and then sweep all remaining events for a chance to tie Korda.

Korda, the 2024 Chevron Championship winner, also clinched the Rolex Annika Major Award after her runner-up finish to Lydia Ko at the AIG Women’s British Open. She will accept both honors on Nov. 20 at the Rolex LPGA Awards ceremony during the CME Group Tour Championship in Naples, Florida.

Korda hasn’t played since the Kroger Queen City Championship in September, withdrawing from the tour’s fall Asian swing with a minor neck injury. She was cleared by her doctor to begin practicing last week, posting the update on her social media accounts.

She’s scheduled to compete next at The Annika driven by Gainbridge at Pelican in Belleair, Florida, Nov. 14-17, where she’s a two-time winner. Korda will then conclude her eighth official LPGA season at the CME before playing in two more unofficial events – the Grant Thornton Invitational and PNC Championship – in December.

Nelly Korda to be featured in Sports Illustrated’s 2025 Swimsuit Issue

Korda’s career year continues.

World No. 1 and LPGA superstar Nelly Korda is set to be featured in the 2025 edition of Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit Issue. On Saturday, SI Swimsuit’s Instagram account announced Korda’s inclusion and posted behind-the-scenes looks at her photoshoot.

Korda, 26, has won six times across 14 starts so far this season, including the Chevron Championship in April, the LPGA’s first major of the year. The world’s best player was forced to miss the tour’s Asia swing due to a minor neck injury, but she was recently cleared to practice and is expected to return for The Annika at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Florida, Nov. 14-17. It would be her first start since a T-5 finish at the Kroger Queen City Championship in September.

 

The best Halloween costumes from around golf including Rory McIlroy as Mario, Nelly Korda as Master Splinter

Who had the best costume?

On Thursday, some of the biggest names in golf joined in on the Halloween festivities and showed off their awesome costumes. There were some notable ones, including Rory McIlroy as Super Mario and world No. 1 Nelly Korda as Master Splinter from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Some of the other players who posted photos of their Halloween costumes were Tony Finau, Gary Woodland, Sam Burns and Billy Horschel.

If you’re interested in checking out some of our other Halloween content, these are worth a look: Boo! In honor of Halloween, take a closer look at some of the scariest shots, and holes, in golf | 8 pieces of Halloween-themed golf gear to help you celebrate the spooky season

Best PGA Tour, LPGA Halloween costumes

Shane Lowry, Rory McIlroy and Luke Donald

Camilo Villegas

https://www.instagram.com/camilovillegasofficial/p/DBz9VYLIxcG/?hl=en

Tony Finau

https://www.instagram.com/tonyfinaugolf/reel/DB1FTv6vArq/?hl=en

Sam Burns

https://www.instagram.com/samburns66/p/DBzjk3CyzrT/?hl=en

Gary Woodland

https://www.instagram.com/gary.woodland/p/DBzjO-9vs-l/?hl=en

Billy Horschel

Byeong Hun An

Zac Blair

Nelly and Jessica Korda

https://www.instagram.com/thejessicakorda/p/DBziIHgJx5-/?hl=en

Where will fans see world No. 1 Nelly Korda tee it up next on the LPGA?

Nelly Korda is back on the practice range.

Nelly Korda is back on the practice range. The world No. 1 noted on X/Twitter earlier this week that she’d been cleared by her doctor to get back to work. Korda skipped the LPGA’s fall Asian swing after revealing that she’d suffered a minor neck injury.

After helping Team USA clinch the 2024 Solheim Cup in mid-September, Korda teed it up the next week in Cincinnati at the Kroger Queen City Championship, where she tied for fifth. She hasn’t played since.

So where might fans see her next?

The field for next week’s Lotte Championship in Hawaii has closed, which means her first stop back will almost certainly be The Annika driven by Gainbridge at Pelican, where she’s a two-time winner. Korda is slated to play alongside WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark in the event’s pro-am Nov. 13 in Belleair, Florida.

After that, she’ll play in the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship, which features an $11 million purse and record $4 million first-place prize.

A six-time winner on the LPGA this season, Korda last hoisted an individual trophy in May at the Mizuho Americas Open. In August, she tied for second at the AIG Women’s British open.

While she hasn’t played enough tournament rounds this season to qualify for the Vare Trophy race for lowest scoring average, she has clinched at least a share of the LPGA Rolex Player of the Year award. She can win it outright if Ayaka Furue does not win this week in Japan. Furue would then have to win the last three remaining events on the LPGA schedule to tie Korda.

This is Korda’s first Player of the Year title.

In December, the 26-year-old will be back in action at Tiburon Golf Club for the Grant Thornton Invitational mixed team event Dec. 13-15 alongside PGA Tour player Tony Finau.

The following week, she’ll once again team up with her father, Petr, at the PNC Championship in Orlando, Florida.

Nelly Korda, Lydia Ko headline star-studded field at The Annika, where military and first responders get in free

Children 17 and under also will be admitted free with a paid adult.

World No. 1 Nelly Korda, a two-time champion at The Annika driven by Gainbridge at Pelican, has committed to playing in the upcoming event alongside defending champion Lilia Vu, currently ranked second, and Lydia Ko, the hottest player in the world. Recent champions Ruoning Yin and Hannah Green, who’ve both won multiple events in 2024, round out the top 5 players coming to the Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Florida.

The LPGA’s penultimate event of the season will take place Nov. 11-17, and the field will vie for a purse of $3.25 million, one of the largest on tour. Eight of the top 10 players in the world have committed to the field. With WNBA star Caitlin Clark playing in the pro-am alongside Sorenstam and Korda, it’s likely to be a blockbuster affair.

(R to L) Annika Sorenstam of Sweden presents the trophy to Lilia Vu of the United States on the 18th green after The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican at Pelican Golf Club on November 12, 2023 in Belleair, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

Pelican Golf Club reopened for play last Wednesday, one week after Hurricane Milton left much of the course flooded. The tournament announced on Monday that all military personnel (active, reserve, retired and veterans) and a plus-one will receive complimentary access to the championship, including access to a special exclusive hospitality venue – the Hero Outpost presented by FedData – overlooking the tournament’s signature par-3 12th hole.

Additionally, all first responders and one guest will receive free tickets to the 2024 championship. First responders will have access to an exclusive hospitality venue, the First Responders Outpost presented by Servepro, located on the par-4 16th green.

Children 17 and under also will be admitted free with a paid adult.

This will be the fifth edition of The Annika, which serves as the cutoff for finalizing status for the 2025 season as well as the field for the lucrative CME Group Tour Championship.

Nelly Korda in position to clinch first LPGA Rolex Player of the Year title; Lydia Ko can’t catch her

The POY title would give Korda her 18th LPGA Hall of Fame point.

Nelly Korda is in position to claim her first Rolex Player of the Year title. Japan’s Ayaka Furue is the only player who can mathematically tie her in the points race, and it would take a heroic effort of sweeping her next four starts. And that’s if Korda fails to earn more points.

Korda, who is currently sidelined with a minor neck injury, leads the tour with 244 points. Lydia Ko trails by 100 points in second place but only has two starts left this season: The Annika driven by Gainbridge at Pelican and the CME Group Tour Championship. A victory is worth 30 points, which means Ko mathematically can’t win.

It’s worth noting Ko’s Olympic victory doesn’t count toward the Player of the Year race, though it does count toward the Hall of Fame. A two-time POY, Ko won three times this season on tour, plus gold in Paris.

Furue, currently in third place with 124 points, has four starts remaining, as she isn’t scheduled to play in The Annika. South Korea’s Haeran Ryu would need five wins to catch Korda, but she’s currently only slated to make four more starts (skipping the Lotte in Hawaii).

2024 LPGA Drive On Championship
Nelly Korda celebrates after a victory on the second playoff hole during the final round of the LPGA Drive On Championship at Bradenton Country Club on January 28, 2024 in Bradenton, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)

World No. 1 Korda won six times in the first half of the season, including the Chevron Championship, her second career major title. No American player has won that many times on tour since Beth Daniel won seven times in 1990.

POY points are awarded for top-10 finishes only and are doubled at the majors. Korda has nine top-10 finishes in 14 starts.

In 2021, Korda won four times on the LPGA, including the KPMG Women’s PGA, as well as Olympic gold in Tokyo but was edged out in the POY race by Jin Young Ko.

South Korea’s Ko won five times on the LPGA that season (no majors) and took the POY based on the strength of 13 top 10s. She beat Korda by 14 points. Had Korda earned 30 points for her gold-medal performance though, she would’ve taken the honor.

Should Korda go on to clinch the 2024 POY, which she could do as early as next week’s Toto Japan Classic, she’ll follow in the footsteps of California’s Lilia Vu, who won last year. The last time American players won the award in consecutive years was 1993 (Betsy King) and 1994 (Beth Daniel).

The POY title would give Korda her 18th LPGA Hall of Fame point. She needs 27 points to qualify.

Caitlin Clark and Nelly Korda playing together in LPGA pro-am? It’s happening

Golfweek has learned that Clark will play nine holes with Nelly Korda in the 18-hole pro-am.

Superstar Caitlin Clark joked that she planned to become a professional golfer during the WNBA’s offseason. Well, she’ll have a front-row seat to some of the best to ever play the game at an LPGA event next month.

Last week, The Annika driven by Gainbridge at Pelican announced that Clark will participate in the event’s Wednesday pro-am on Nov. 13 in Belleair, Florida. She’ll also take part in a Women’s Leadership Summit panel the day prior at the club.

In addition to playing alongside tournament host and 10-time major winner Annika Sorenstam, Golfweek has learned that Clark will play nine holes with Nelly Korda in the 18-hole pro-am. The World No. 1, a two-time winner of the Pelican, is currently sidelined from the Asian swing with a minor neck injury.

2024 Solheim Cup
Nelly Korda celebrates with Team USA after defeating Team Europe for the 2024 Solheim Cup at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club. (Aaron Doster-Imagn Images)

Korda began the year with six victories in her first eight starts, causing many to wonder if the popular American could have a Clark-like impact on the LPGA.

Clark’s historic and electric first season in the WNBA came to an end in late September after the Indiana Fever were knocked out of the playoffs. The former Iowa star and NCAA’s all-time leading scorer routinely drew record crowds at both the collegiate and professional levels. The Clark phenomenon will no doubt create quite the scene at Pelican on what’s normally a quiet day at the office.

2023 John Deere Classic
Caitlin Clark of the Iowa Hawkeyes and Ludvig Aberg of Sweden walk to the fifth hole during the pro-am prior to the John Deere Classic at TPC Deere Run on July 05, 2023 in Silvis, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

Last summer, Clark created a frenzy at the John Deere Classic Pro-Am when she played alongside Zach Johnson and Ludvig Aberg.

Clark became a Gainbridge ambassador last March, joining sports icons Sorenstam and Billie Jean King.

This will be the fifth edition of The Annika, held Nov. 14-17. The course reopened on Wednesday after 100 mph winds and extreme flooding from Hurricane Milton wreaked havoc on the private Tampa Bay area club.