2024 Was the Year of Nelly Korda

If you had asked Nelly Korda what she was most excited about coming into 2024, she probably would have said becoming an aunt.Korda was overjoyed when her sister Jessica announced in August 2023 that she was pregnant with her first child and couldn’t wait to meet her nephew, who was due in February 2024. But little did Nelly know what else going to happen for her in the new year or what other items she would get to tick off her personal and professional bucket lists as her already bright star rose to new heights, both on and off the golf course.The whirlwind began in Korda’s hometown of Bradenton, Fla., at the LPGA Drive On Championship, a tournament hosted for the first time ever at Bradenton Country Club. With her ninth career victory on the line, Korda held a four-stroke lead ahead of the final round but relinquished her advantage late after making a couple of costly missteps that left her three shots behind Lydia Ko with two holes to go.Korda dug deep, making a gritty eagle on the 17th hole and then nearly holing her second shot on 18 to win in regulation, tapping in for birdie to post at 11-under and match Ko, ultimately sending thepair to extra holes. After Korda and Ko tied the first playoff hole, the second saw Ko lip out a short par putt and Korda capitalize with an up-and-down par save to collect her first LPGA Tour title since the 2023 ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican.“I didn’t think I even had a chance, and then obviously making the eagle on 17, I knew that I needed a birdie on 18 to even have a chance to get into a playoff,” said Korda after the victory. “Just wow. Good ole Nelly fashion making it dramatic Jess joked that her younger sister nearly sent her into labor with those end-of-round antics, and she might have done exactly that as Jess’ son Greyson John DelPrete wound up coming into the world on Feb. 3, just six days after his Aunt Nelly picked up that win at Drive On.But while her nephew’s birth was arguably a more life-changing moment for Korda, that early win in her hometown was a turning point for Nelly.Even though the 2023 season had been solid, it was a bit of a frustrating year for the superstar, who couldn’t seem to find victory lane no matter how hard she tried. So, picking up a title in just her second start of the new year was quite a relief for Korda, one that put her into a good mental space heading into a seven-week break from competition.Nelly skipped the Tour’s spring Asian swing to bank some extra time off, returning to action at the FIR HILLS SERI PAK Championship in Southern California at Palos Verdes Golf Club, a course at which she had tied for fifth the year before. She got off to a sluggish start by her standards, posting a 1-over 72 on day one, but Korda picked up the pace over the next two rounds to find herself two shots back of the lead with 18 holes remaining.A rollercoaster final round saw Nelly card five bogeys, five birdies and an eagle to finish at 9-under total, a performance that sent her to another playoff, this time with Ryann O’Toole. And with plenty of confidence after capturing that long-awaited win two months prior, Korda calmly rolled in a mid-range birdie putt on the first extra hole to pick up her 10th LPGA Tour victory and second win of the 2024 season.