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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 22: Nelly Korda walks up to the fourth tee during round two of the HUGEL-AIR PREMIA LA Open at Wilshire Country Club on April 22, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)
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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 22: Nelly Korda walks up to the fourth tee during round two of the HUGEL-AIR PREMIA LA Open at Wilshire Country Club on April 22, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)
The rise of Caitlin Clark has been tremendous in the WNBA. One could fairly say that there would not be such a better time for the world of women’s sports. However, one can’t seem to say the same thing about women’s golf, despite athletes like Nelly Korda and Hannah Green dishing out one dominant performance after the other. Even the current world No. 1 would agree to the same.
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The golfer was spotted in an interview ahead of the upcoming major, the 2024 U.S. Women’s Open. She was asked to compare women’s golf to the overall attention that women’s sports as a whole are getting, and she urged the community to focus more on the positives than the negatives that golf has been getting!
Nelly Korda comes out candid on the situation of golf
Korda wasn’t sure what to comment on when she was posed with the sudden query comparing women’s golf to the global one. She was nevertheless sure of one thing: viewership, sponsors, and the like. “I think what we want is an increase in viewership, from sponsors, and from people around us interested in the game of golf.”
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The 25-year-old, didn’t allude to just women’s golf when it came to growth but also to the whole of the sport: “Not just women’s golf, but obviously, in general, the game of golf.” There has indeed been a stark disparity between the viewership numbers of the PGA Tour and the LPGA Tour. Even so, realistically speaking, the men’s circuit hasn’t been faring that well either. Especially when comparing it to the previous year’s numbers (remember the Mexico Open numbers and the Masters tournament figures?).
The 2024 Chevron Championship winner, apparently, didn’t have an answer on whether golf is getting enough attention. Even so, she was just sure of one thing: “I do know that it has been growing every single year, and I think that’s what we should focus on, the positivity of that.” Korda’s words don’t come as a surprise. Especially when the women’s circuit has seen an increase in sponsorship and prize money while the PGA Tour has entered into a $3 billion deal with SSG.
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Golf – AIG Women’s Open – Carnoustie, Scotland, Britain – August 20, 2021 Nelly Korda of the U.S. in action during the second round Action at an LPGA Tour event Images via Reuters/Craig Brough
This is not the first time that she has shed light on the need for viewership to increase. Korda had already called out the coverage snub of the LPGA Tour by the various broadcasters during an interview at the Chevron Championship.
Korda gives her opinion on the LPGA Tour coverage issue
“I feel like we just need a stage,” admitted the 14-time LPGA Tour champ. She was hinting at the need to cover the event live and in a proper manner instead of just the tape delay: “We need to be put on TV. I feel like when it’s tape delay or anything like that, that hurts our game. Women’s sports just need a stage. If we have a stage, we can show up and perform and show people what we’re all about.”
It is evident to see where her frustration stems from. Her fourth win in 2024 at the T-Mobile Match Play presented by MGM Rewards was overshadowed by the PGA Tour Champions broadcast, where just a few holes of the former were shown. One can’t help but agree with Marina Alex, a 2-time LPGA Tour champ: “How do we grow the game when we can’t be seen?”
Written by
Edited by
Tushhita Barua