All is Not Well With Nelly Korda as LPGA Pro Faces ‘The Worst’ Amid Winless Season

Unlike 2024, this season hasn’t been going Nelly Korda‘s way. The World No.1 just ended another chance to claim her first victory of the season at the ShopRite LPGA Classic, which ended on Sunday. Despite a slow start on the first day, Korda was able to bounce back on the next day but eventually lost the title to Jennifer Kupcho and finished tied for 15th.

Despite her consistent efforts, Korda’s frustration was palpable, but it didn’t end there. She posted a story on her Instagram a few hours ago, highlighting an incident that added to her existing woes.

Nelly Korda Can’t Catch a Break in 2025

Nelly Korda was phenomenal in 2024 and took the golfing world by storm. She had 7 wins, including 5 back-to-back, and a major at the Chevron Championship—”It’s just been a crazy, crazy, crazy couple of weeks, with some really solid golf. I can finally breathe,” said Korda after her fifth win in just six starts in 2024. But things seem to be going differently this season.

Korda, who is currently World No. 1, is still chasing her first title of the season. With 9 starts this season and no wins, Korda’s on-course challenges have been a test of her perseverance. Before the ShopRite Classic, Korda narrowly lost her first U.S. Women’s Open title to Maja Stark by finishing tied for 2nd. This loss came just after she tied 5th at the Mizuho Americas Open and tied 14th at the Chevron Championship.

A solid second-round 67 reignited her hope at the ShopRite Classic despite a slow start on the first day with 71. But a 2-under finish on the third day continued her drought season. And just as she faced setbacks in her career this season, Korda faced trouble at the Philadelphia airport as she missed her flight after Sunday’s round at ShopRite. Korda posted a picture of herself, smiling but seemingly disappointed with the airport.

She captioned her story, “Sprinted through the airport only to miss my flight…at least I kinda…worked out?” hinting at missing her flight despite being at the airport and sprinting her way through. She also added that, in her opinion, it was her worst experience and the airport was possibly the worst in the world—“Philly is by far the worst airport in the world.”

The missed flight incident added to her woes, which led to her leaving a candid remark about the airport. Her frustration seems to be valid, as nothing is more defeating than missing a flight, especially when you’re sprinting halfway across the airport only to witness a sight where the doors to the plane are closed. Korda, like all the rest of us, felt a moment of regret and rage that led her to take to social media to express her feelings.

And similar to the challenges she faced on the course, losing out on two majors this year, and no victory in sight, Korda’s experience at the airport served as a metaphor for her current season. But like everyone else, athletes too face periods of adversity. They might be at the top of their game and might continue to work harder than ever, but some things are beyond control.

Yet, they continue to fight and overcome hurdles on and off the field to emerge stronger. Nelly Korda, too, has proven several times in the past that her resilience and determination remain unscathed, as she has found her rhythm several times and returned to the winner’s circle. While she does not have any wins this year, the only relief that came for her was when she joined the elite club by cementing her World No. 1 title for 100 consecutive weeks.

Korda continues her No. 1 Spot despite the drought season

Nelly Korda won her first major in 2021 at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. This was a breakout year for her as she won 4 titles, including a major and an Olympic gold medal, and also claimed the World No.1 Spot. While she did lose the spot for short periods in 2022 & 2023, she regained her spot later in 2023, and her phenomenal season in 2024 helped her keep the spot intact.

She is now the sixth female golfer in the world to have held the No. 1 spot for 100 consecutive weeks, joining Jin Young Ko, Lorena Ochoa, Lydia Ko, Yani Tseng, and Inbee Park. Korda, who turned professional in 2017, has 15 wins in her professional career, including 2 majors. During her unstoppable season in 2024, she also won the Rolex Player of the Year and the Rolex ANNIKA Major Award for her performances.

Despite the season in 2025, Nelly Korda remains undefeated in the world rankings, proving that her talent and skill remain undefeated. But only time will tell whether she will be able to end her season with a few wins, especially when you’re playing a game as temperamentally fickle as golf.

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