Lydia Ko, Brooke Henderson, Charley Hull, and others have joined the WTGL, but not Nelly Korda. She still has her inhibitions and sees the new league as a missed opportunity for growing women’s golf by having women play alongside men for the same prize money. Her words got strong reactions from the fans.

“I have mixed feelings on it if I’m being very honest,” Korda told Golfweek.  “I’m surprised no other girls have, or no one’s really spoken out about it. I think it’s a huge and unbelievable miss that we’re not playing alongside the men.”

“There’s no greater way to grow the game, and it would have been revolutionary. It would have been the first time, I think, that men and women were on the same playing field, playing for the same amount of money. But I also think it’s great that we are getting this opportunity, so those are my mixed feelings.”

TGL launched its second season in December 2025 on ESPN with the same excitement it drew in its first act. After that, TMRW Sports formally introduced the WTGL on January 6, 2026, by joining forces with LPGA Commissioner Craig Kessler. The organization chose Lexi Thompson as the primary face of the league.

Golfers like World No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul, LPGA Hall of Famer Lydia Ko, Canada’s winningest golfer Brooke Henderson, major champion Lexi Thompson, and three-time winner Charley Hull come under the radar as the first five joiners with positive responses. Then on Tuesday, the league announced the additions of Rose Zhang and Lottie Woad.

Nelly Korda, however, remains the most discussed player because she has not announced her allegiance to WTGL. Korda said she’s still deciding if she’ll take part, given the hectic LPGA schedule.

“I’m just still weighing out the time commitment. I just haven’t really thought about it too much, because I’ve been really focused on trying to get ready for this season,” Korda shared.

2025 was not as great for #2, as she went winless after a breakthrough 2024 with 7 wins. She recovered from injuries as well, adding to her plight. So, it’s only fair that her goal for 2026 remains the LPGA.

Nelly Korda has always been quite vocal about how the LPGA stars should play alongside the PGA Tour pros for the game’s betterment.

“The best way to grow the game is for us to come together and lift each other, support each other. That’s what this tournament does. At the end of the day, it showcases the best women and men coming together and having fun and playing something different, something that we don’t get to do every single day,” she said at the Grant Thornton Invitational 2025.

When the WTGL was first announced, McCarley told Golfweek there was a possibility that the men and women might play together in the future. But for now, the organization is putting all the pieces in place for the women’s specific debut. That’s why Nelly Korda insisted that she does not want to sound negative about the new and exciting league initiative, but she doesn’t hide her feelings.

“I don’t think that there’s a downside. I just think that it would have been even greater to have both of them together,” Korda said.

This ideological friction has polarized the global fan base across every social media platform.

Fans’ reaction to Nelly Korda’s call for equality

Some fans believe the men might actually fear competing against elite female stars on the same digital stage. As one fan said, “The dudes are worried about getting beat by the girls.” This fan sentiment is real and understandable, with some real incidents. During Lexi Thompson’s 2023 PGA Tour debut at the Shriners Children’s Open, she opened with a 302-yard drive and outdrove several male professionals in the field.

However, not everyone finds the excellence of Nelly Korda to be compelling. Some viewers prioritize raw entertainment, and they said, “I’d rather watch YouTubers mixed with pros… Nelly is a very good professional athlete, but she’s not entertaining.”

While Korda’s swing is often described as ‘ballet’ or ‘intoxicating’ by so many people, her intensely focused demeanor can feel distant to the fans who prioritize ‘personality.’ And in TGL, personality matters.

So another fan just repeated the same sentiment, saying, “Bring some personality… bring some fun… don’t bring boring, yawning stuff… and yes, Nelly, get more engaged.”

Korda argued that a mixed format was the ‘greatest way to grow the game.’ And some fans really agree on that, as they want to see the best players from both tours competing for the same prize money. Agree with Korda. Making TGL a mixed league would have been fun and certainly would have improved ratings.”

The success of the Grant Thornton Invitational serves as the primary evidence for this claim. As the first mixed-team event since 1999, it features 16 teams of one PGA and one LPGA pro competing for an equal $4 million purse. The event has drawn strong crowds and high engagement.

So, industry experts like Josh Carpenter also noted, “Not super surprising that Nelly feels this way. This is the direction much of the industry felt it should move.”

Do you think launching WTGL was not the right move? Let us know your thoughts below!