It was after her WD from the Cognizant Founders Cup in May 2023 when Jessica Korda announced her medical hiatus. A lingering back pain had been bothering her, and she couldn’t bear it. Then, she became a mother, and golf wasn’t a priority anymore. Now, she is back on the course for the 2025 Grant Thornton Invitational and is eagerly looking forward to it. She is also eyeing a return to the Tour, but with certain conditions.

“At first it was great because I had so much joy being out there, and then the real work started and I was like, Oh, we have to grind now,” Korda told the media. “Playing with the guys definitely makes me a little bit nervous, which is fun, and as I said, it’s just been a lot of fun to be out there. I feel like myself, and it’s a little bit of a break from being a mom and wiping butts.”

She played golf maybe three or four times a week to build up her stamina for the week. The most she played golf was six or seven days in a row. Greyson was born in February 2024, and it’s been over 2 years since Jess has played competitive golf. She mentioned that if she’d return to the LPGA, it wouldn’t be till mid-March, so she still has plenty of time to get some practice in. She needed her competitive juices to flow, so she decided to play the Grant Thornton Invitational.

Jessica is an accomplished professional with six LPGA Tour victories. Challenges were nothing new for her. But then a disc issue in her lower back forced her to step away. Before she could get operated, she found out she was expecting.

Jessica Korda has defined motherhood with remarkable honesty. She got a sitter, which allowed her a few hours to practice golf. Then, she’d return home, take a quick shower. Her golf outings were not relaxing; they were “a little hectic,” as she would say.

When she is out on the course, she checks her camera feeds at home because she misses her son. This “mom guilt” is quite common on the Tour. But when she’s on the course, she loves to get lost in the game.

“It’s this push and pull that every single parent speaks about,” she has said recently, explaining the kind of help she’s receiving from her friends. Golf, at times, shows her what she could be. And the very next moment, it humbled her. That’s why she’s not rushing her return. Yet, Korda should know that once she’s back in full form, golf wouldn’t be just a “little break.”

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What Jessica Korda’s 2026 LPGA return will really look like

Jessica Korda’s shift from her mommy duties to that of a full-time pro golfer will be stark. The LPGA schedule normally features 33 events, which are played over 11 months. These are spread globally, including travel and weekly relocations every 7-10 days.

Players must arrive a week before to inspect the course and get familiar with its strategy. Naturally, all of this leaves little time for a mother to check on her home duties. But there is a silver lining.

The LPGA does provide very comprehensive childcare support. The system offers staff for every North America event, toddler-appropriate facilities, and security. But there are still challenges, though.

“It’s a new room every week, a new environment,” said LPGA player Karine Icher back in 2019. “They [the kids] have to adapt.”

Korda will also have to push more. As a full-time LPGA player, she will have to increase her practice time. The five-hour period, three or four times a week, will simply not work. Adding emotional bandwidth required to parent a toddler, she could aim for instead is a selective 15-20 event season, specifically in North America. Quite similar to how Lexi Thompson plays, as she also wants to prioritize family.

In truth, Jessica Korda’s 2026 comeback won’t be simple. The LPGA’s support system will help, but the balance she’s been aiming for will not come easily to her.