Nelly Korda came into the final round of the Ford Championship with every intention of bouncing back from what she went through just a week earlier at the Founders Cup. She shot a brilliant five-under 67, including an eagle-birdie finish, but it still was not enough. Hyo Joo Kim was simply too good and, for the second straight week, secured the win. And while many would expect Korda to be frustrated, she had something far more entertaining to say about her fellow golfer.

“I’m done playing with her. I’m just kidding,” she said in an interview with Golf Channel when asked about going head-to-head with Kim again. “Hyo Joo has been playing amazing golf. It’s been really inspiring to see. Playing with her, I definitely elevate my game. She’s just a phenomenal player and person, too. She’s fun to play along with, and she definitely motivates me out on the golf course.”

That kind of praise from Nelly Korda carries real weight.

Kim shot 61-69-61-69 for a 28-under-par total of 260 and also set the LPGA 54-hole tournament record at 25-under on Saturday. She won her ninth LPGA title and became the first repeat winner of the 2025 season, picking up back-to-back wins for the first time in her career. Her prize money from this event alone was $337,500 from a $2.25 million purse.

The rivalry between the two has a warmth to it that is rare in professional sports. Earlier in the week, Korda made a heart sign behind Kim during a media interview. They chat, share laughs, and clearly bring out the best in each other.

Hyo Joo Kim admitted through a translator after the win:

“I actually wanted to ask Nelly how it feels to win back-to-back. It just feels fantastic.”

A pointed but playful dig, considering Korda won five back-to-back events herself earlier in 2024.

Hyo Joo Kim won the Fortinet Founders Cup by one shot with a score of 16-under 272. Nelly Korda put up a strong fight, but Kim held on. Even though Kim’s five-shot lead slipped away in the last round, she stayed calm and made key birdies and clutch par saves to win.

Now, with the Chevron Championship, the first major event of the year, coming in April, it’s going to be an interesting watch to see how these golfers will play.

However, in both tournaments, Korda made some common mistakes.

Where Nelly Korda’s game fell apart against Kim

The 27-year-old’s losses to Kim over the past two weeks share one brutal common thread: short putts at the worst possible moments. She is ball-striking at an elite level, shooting 67 in both final rounds, but the putter keeps letting her down when the tournament is on the line.

At the Fortinet Founders’ Cup, the decisive moment came on the 17th hole. Korda missed a par-saving putt on the par-3 17th despite being close to the hole, a mistake that proved fatal in a tight finish. She admitted it herself:

“I just kind of made one stupid mistake, and that was 17.”

The Ford Championship told a similar story. Korda missed a two-foot birdie putt on the 17th again, which was the worst time for her to lose her momentum. The eagle-birdie finish on 17 and 18 looked great on paper, but the damage had already been done long before those last two holes.

The pattern across both weeks is impossible to ignore now. Nelly Korda’s game from tee to green was genuinely world-class in both tournaments. The collapse only happened on the greens, specifically inside three to five feet under pressure. Until she fixes that, Kim will keep lifting the trophy while Korda reflects on what could have been.