On the course, Nelly Korda is having a difficult time. The World No.1 has been far from her dominant self from last year and is yet to win a title this year on the LPGA Tour. With three majors set to take place in the next three months, the American golfer will be looking for an extra push to bring back her ruthless disposition on the golf course. For that, she can take inspiration from her particularly interesting off-court activities!

She is currently hosting the Nelly Invitational, which takes place at the Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, Florida, May 1-4. This is the second edition of the event, with Aphrodite Deng winning the first edition last year. This has been something that Korda had wanted since taking part in the AJGA circuit and claiming two titles in 2015 – the Yani Tseng Invitational and the PING Invitational. After all, her experience on the AJGA circuit allowed her to smoothly transition to the LPGA Tour, where she made great strides, claiming 13 titles, including two majors. Only this time, there is an added spark to the event!

The second edition will see new sponsors and offerings on board. “I am so grateful for all my sponsors for really supporting my vision for this event.” Nelly Korda explained a day ago. The partnership with Chevron has allowed the Nelly Invitational to hand out  $2,000 as a stipend for flights, hotels, rental cars, and entry fees, with international players being handed an extra $500 as well. She added, “I always wanted to have an AJGA since I started playing AJGA events and creating something so special and unique with Chevron coming on board and giving an exemption to the winner for the next year’s major is absolutely incredible… Something that I really wanted with this event is since we are getting an exemption into Chevron in 2026, I wanted all the best golfers to come play this event.

“We will have the best field to then have the best winner to play in the first major of the year. So for girls to travel across the world, to come play this event means so much and it just shows how important this event is to them and for them to play that first major of the year and getting that experience under their belt is something that they will always remember,” Korda stated. The event also invited the top 10 eligible international players who may not be AJGA members or who previously did not qualify for the event through the Rolex AJGA Rankings.

With Chevron being present as a partner for the next three years, it could be something that players will be looking forward to every year. The exemption to the major is the icing on the cake, as the junior players will be relishing the chance to compete against the best golfers in the world. The 2025 event will include 12 girls (ages 12-19) out of the top 25 girls from the Rolex AJGA Rankings:

• No. 2 Gianna Clemente of Estero, Florida
• No. 5 Scarlett Schremmer of Birmingham, Alabama
• No. 8 Natalie Yen of West Linn, Oregon
• No. 9 Jude Lee of Walnut, California
• No. 12 Amelie Zalsman of Saint Petersburg, Florida
• No. 13 Sofia Cherif Essakali of Orlando, Florida
• No. 14 Ann-Sophie Bourgault of Gatineau, Quebec, Canada
• No. 15 Clara Ding of White Rock, British Columbia, Canada
• No. 16 Eliana Saga of Stevenson Ranch, California
• No. 17 Kayla Bryant of Boca Raton, Florida
• No. 19 Shauna Liu of Maple, Ontario, Canada
• No. 23 Kinsley (Zixin) Ni of Los Angeles, California

Additionally, girls from 12 foreign countries and 18 U.S. states will compete in the event. While the competition will be fierce, Korda had a message for the young girls: Do not compare or get dejected. And to explain this, she gave her own example two days ago. “I played Junior Solheim Cup once. I wasn’t selected for Junior Ryder Cup. I wasn’t selected for anything growing up,” she stated. This would be a welcome break for Korda, who is currently dealing with the emotional baggage of losing a pet.

After her pet cat, Rafi, passed away, Korda took to social media to share her anguish and sadness. She put a post with the caption, “You made me a crazy cat lady….Now I am just a crazy lady.” In another slide, Korda posted a video of her playing with Rafi and added a note, “Sending lots and lots of belly rubs to heaven… I hope everyone experiences an unconditional, cuddly love like this in their lifetime.” 

Interacting with the young golfers might help Korda deal with her loss. Interestingly, the junior golfers were welcomed by Sawyer—a rescue dog from Satchel’s Last Resort. It is a no-kill animal shelter in Sarasota and is one of the event’s two charities. The event does have a different flavor to it compared to the other tournaments on the AJGA circuit. Currently, five players in the top 10 are international players.

Clara Ding leads the international Nelly Invitational!

Clara Ding leads the tournament after two rounds of play, with a 1 stroke lead over second-placed Honorine Nobuta Ferry. Coming from Canada, Ding is one of twenty players in the 66-player field from outside the United States of America. Players from China, Japan, Norway, Venezuela, France, and many other countries are taking part in the AJGA Invitational event.

Ding carded a brilliant 65 in the first round before stumbling a bit in the second round with a score of 76 at the 72-par event. She and Ferry are the only two players at the event with below-par scores after two rounds of play.

UPDATE: Shauna Liu from Canada delivered a great performance at The Nelly Invitational presented by Chevron. In the final round, she absolutely dominated. It included eight successive birdies from Nos. 6 through 13, which is a tournament record, and that helped her get into a playoff. Further, she recorded another birdie in the first playoff hole after sinking a 17-foot putt. She claimed victory at The Nelly Invitational.