“Have some work to do and have a couple more events to end off the season,” is what Nelly Korda had to say after the LOTTE Championship, as her wait for a trophy continues. With Youmin Hwang’s stunning victory, the LPGA Tour has achieved a rare feat, something that has been repeated for the fourth time in the entirety of the Tour.

The LPGA Tour has now seen 26 unique winners through just 25 events in 2025, now tying the record for the most different winners in a single season. This rare occurrence happened previously in 1995, 2018, and 2022, as this achievement showcases the stacked roster of the LPGA, and it reflects the Tour’s growing talent pool and unpredictability. Yet, amongst all the winners in the 2025 season, the question many fans have is simple: Where is Nelly Korda?

After an incredible record-breaking season with 5 straight victories in a row out of her 7 wins last season, and a win at the Chevron Championship for her second major, Korda has yet to lift a trophy in 2025. While she has attended 17 out of the 26 events, making top cuts in all of these events, she has finished only 8 times in the top 10.

Compared to her 2024 season, she attended 16 events and won 7, and finished in the top 10 eleven times. Her overall stats have also stepped down a notch this season, with strokes gained coming down from 2.84 to 2.30 this year. Yes, this drop in stats still puts her in contention for wins. Even though she has started strong in every tournament she has attended, she has struggled to close down victories as she is seen constantly struggling at the final stretch. 

If we take a look at the LOTTE Championship, she started strong as usual, with 69 under in round one and 67 under in round 2, but on round 4 at the 16th hole, she lost her tee ball, which led to a bogey, “That thing went like 30 yards right of where I wanted it to go,” she added after her shot ultimately placing her at T4 after she tried her best to recover. 

“My game plan it’s pretty simple. It’s always to give everything 100 percent and concentrate in and dial in it. If I’m doing what I can, then that’s kind of like the most that I can do,” she added after the tournament, telling the fans that she still wants to win a trophy this season.

But with her “giving it 100 percent” through the year, she admitted that with only 2 more months left, she feels “definitely worn down” and fatigued after attending many events and coming so close to victories.

“I just love the grind,” Korda said. “I love going out there, competing, doing what I love, playing in front of the fans who are just as passionate about the game as we are, and also going home and working hard on my craft,” she added, as she gives hope and confidence that her 2025 winless drought might be coming to an end soon.

Meanwhile, Nelly Korda’s winless stretch has showcased a broader shift in the LPGA golf scene.

A Season of Parity and Possibility

Many players like Jeeno Thitikul and Hyo Joo Kim have shot up the rankings, and new names and young talent like Youmin Hwang are stepping up and stealing the spotlight from veterans who had a strong hold of the top. This absence of a dominant figure like Nelly Korda in 2024 has meant the number of competitors for top prizes has increased substantially, and that makes every tournament unpredictable and worth watching.

This change in the dynamic, where one or two superstars were dominating the whole year, has completely changed this 2025 season, where each week brings in a new champion, a fresh storyline, and with it, a reminder of the growing talent pool in the LPGA Tour. While this competitive talent pool is good for golf, it has given rise to a new debate. Is the LPGA better with the amount of depth in its roster, or is it better off with the presence of a dominant and dynamic star like Nelly Korda?

Many believe that the constant rotation of winners is healthy for the LPGA Tour, where anyone can win, increasing the unpredictability factor that comes in at every tournament. On the other hand, many argue that the lack of a clear dominant figure makes it harder to sustain mainstream attention, due to the fact that there is no single storyline that carries from one tournament to the next.

As a result, the 2025 season has become a fascinating study in balance; this season is defined by both opportunity and uncertainty. Every event brings in new excitement, where anyone could steal the spotlight, making the leaderboard unpredictable. Still, one question continues to hang over it all: is this new era of balance the sign of a healthier, more competitive Tour, or does it risk losing the superstar narrative, like the one of Nelly Korda in the 2024 season?

Either way, the 2025 season has reshaped the identity of the LPGA Tour, proving that in today’s game, depth and diversity may be just as captivating as dominance.