Nelly Korda got off to a tough start at the Chevron Championship with an opening 5-over 77. At that point, it looked like she might miss the cut. Fortunately, the two-time major champion turned things around with impressive rounds of 68 and 71 on Friday and Saturday. She put together a solid final round as well, shooting a 2-under 70, but it ultimately wasn’t enough for her to capture the title this week, and she finished at T14. After failing to win her third major, the golfer revealed some surprising health updates.

After the conclusion of the tournament, the golfer joined the press conference and talked about her future plans. First, she talked about her schedule and said, “No. I’m just going to keep them. Yeah, I’m playing Scottish for the first time ever this year, not playing anything before Evian, not playing Dow, and then don’t know what’s before KPMG.” Last year, the number one golfer was absent from The Women’s Scottish Open at The Renaissance Club, which is a rather important event given that it is one of the major events that precede the AIG’s Women’s Open. She missed the tournament, went to see her family, and enjoyed some time off the greens.

Continuing, she also added that she can’t play four events back to back and summed up her body condition in eight words. “Yeah, so I don’t do four events in a row. So I’m playing ShopRite this year, but I won’t play Meijer because my body cannot do four events in a row,” said Nelly Korda. In 2024, she only played at 17 events on the LPGA tour, and missed tournaments like the Honda LPGA Thailand, HSBC Women’s World Championship, Blue Bay LPGA, and more.

Reflecting on the season’s first major, Korda lamented her preparation. “At the end of the day, I mean, you’ve got to roll with the punches and you have to continue learning,” Korda said. “I just played the pro-am, the front nine, so I didn’t get to chip, putt, see how the greens were releasing with this new pro-am protocol where we can’t chip or putt anymore, so not having that kind of sucked. But at the end of day, I did have the chance to play in the afternoon on Wednesday and I didn’t take it, so that’s on me”

The 26-year-old flew from L.A. late Sunday and opted to rest Monday. During the Tuesday pro-am, she got in nine holes during practice. Further, she could only manage to put in a limited practice on Wednesday before the cold weather rolled in. She didn’t play in the afternoon, with a Thursday morning tee time. Though she failed to defend her Chevron Championship title this time around, could she register a different fate for her title defense at the Mizuho Americas Open?

For now, she is set to miss the next week’s event, the inaugural Black Desert Championship in Utah. But taking the time off, Korda is clearly aware of her body and mind and plans on giving enough rest to both. One can say it’s also her way to get back on track after riding a roller coaster at the first major of the season. Coming from a family where her athletic genes run wide, she understands the importance of a good support system.

Interestingly, even if she was unable to win the title this week, Korda still remains one of the beloved in the community for her class act at Carlton Woods in the Woodlands.

Nelly Korda signed autographs even after a tough start

Anyone who saw Nelly Korda in the first round can easily say how tough it was for her. She carded six bogeys in the first round and was knocked down to T115. Disappointed over her performance, the 2x major champion kept her head down and was on the verge of tears. However, she knew there were three more rounds, and she could not remain sad forever. Reflecting on the same, she said, “I just have to go work. I mean, I’m not hitting it well. That’s about it.”

With that in mind, Korda took extra steps and showed the same gracious spirit on the greens. Just like she has done so in the past when it comes to showing gratitude to her family at the Ford Championship, celebrating new milestones, or even appreciating her fellow players like Hannah Green.

She started signing autographs for her fans who came to cheer her in Texas. Golf journalist Beth Ann Nichols shared this update on her X handle. She wrote, “World No. 1 Nelly Korda signing autographs after carding an opening 77 at the year’s first major.” After a woeful performance, it’s very tough to talk to anyone, but Korda displayed a bold move with her gesture. Even fans appreciated her for this with comments like, “Class act, good job.” 

What do you think about Nelly Korda’s performance at the Chevron Championship? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below!