Oh the curse of the airlines and how it strikes in different ways! Somehow, the Korda sisters are always in the midst of it all. Three years ago in August, Jessica Korda lost her suitcase in Zurich Airport while traveling to Scotland for the AIG Women’s Open. However, with the help of her friends, sister Nelly Korda, and her sponsor FootJoy, she was able to participate in the competition with the determination of, “If it comes here, great, but if not, it is what it is. At this point I’m playing a golf tournament.” All those years later, it has happened once again while Nelly Korda is already on a quest to find her first win of the season.

With 9 starts this season and no wins, Korda’s on-course challenges have been a test of her perseverance. The World No. 1 lost another chance to claim her first victory of the year at the ShopRite LPGA Classic, finishing tied for 15th after shooting 3-under 67. Before this, Korda narrowly lost her first U.S. Women’s Open title to Maja Stark, finishing T2. The continued string of losses also includes T5 finish at the Mizuho Americas Open and T14 at the Chevron Championship. And if her 7-strokes back finish at Galloway added to the string wasn’t enough, her Instagram story from a few hours ago highlighted her continued woes.

This time around, the struggles came way off the greens as Korda faced trouble at the Philadelphia airport. She posted a story smiling with tired eyes as she captioned, “Sprinted through the airport only to miss my flight…at least I kinda…worked out?” However, the next caption hinted at her disappointment where she opined, “Philly is by far the worst airport in the world.” Ouch?! But we can understand the frustration after a not-so-good outing and traveling over 500 miles only to see the airplane doors shut but you’re on the wrong side. Interestingly enough, we can conclude that Korda’s experience at the airport can serve as a metaphor for her current season.

Nevertheless, Nelly Korda has proven several times in the past that her resilience and determination remains unscathed through all the challenges. In no time, we might find her back in 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 where 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 so far, 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.