Stars like Jeeno Thitikul, Charley Hull, and Rose Zhang commit to the new women’s tech-infused league, set to launch in the winter of 2026-27. Meanwhile, Nelly Korda remains conspicuously uncommitted, and now, we know why!

“I have mixed feelings on it if I’m being honest,” Korda told Golfweek. “I’m surprised no other girls have, or no one’s really spoken out about it. I think it’s a huge and unbelievable miss that we’re not playing alongside the men. There’s no greater way to grow the game, and it would have been revolutionary. It would have been the first time that men and women were on the same playing field, playing for the same amount of money. But I also think it’s great that we are getting this opportunity, so those are my mixed feelings.”

Hull and Lexi Thompson have expressed their enthusiasm for playing the new age golf with innovative technology, but there haven’t been any thoughts about not integrating TGL and WTGL. But for the Korda, the mixed-format perspective comes from experience. At the 2023 Grant Thornton Invitational, she teamed with Tony Finau in what both described as pure fun.

She returned to the event in 2025, this time partnering with Denny McCarthy, and doubled down on her message. She said there that the best way to grow the game is for PGA Tour and LPGA pros to come together and lift and support each other. Her philosophy on team golf is straightforward.

“[Mixed format] showcases the best women and men coming together and having fun and playing something different, something that we don’t get to do every single day. I think that just brings so much excitement to what the normal golf fans would be seeing,” she said of mixed golf.

Despite the passion, she is in a dilemma about joining. Firstly, because she needs to focus on the 2026 season and regain her #1 status, and secondly, the mixed format isn’t on TGL or WTGL’s immediate agenda.

Not just Nelly Korda, but even Tony Finau knows the good things the mixed format will bring. He understands the uniqueness and learning opportunities of women and men playing together. Also, the Tour pro understands that golfers are lucky enough to play on some international teams, but they hardly get a partner to cheer on, and the mixed format allows them to do so.

Mixed format Golf is gaining so much attention that in 2028 the world will get to witness it on a global stage.

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Los Angeles will set the stage for what Nelly Korda has been rooting for in 2028

The International Olympic Committee has confirmed that there will be a mixed-team golf event at the 2028 Los Angeles Games. Each team will have one male and one female golfer from the same country. Each pair will play two rounds of 18 holes, using both the foursomes (alternate shot) and four-ball (best ball) formats. This structure ensures there is a lot of variety and depth in strategy.

The mixed-team event will take place at the Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles, where players can work together to show their national pride. There can be only one team from each country, and the players on the teams are chosen from those who have already qualified for individual Olympic golf.

“I think it would be really good for the game of golf. I would say since the Olympics happens every four years you don’t want it to be just like a regular event in a sense. You want it to be something different. I think that would be really fun, if there would be a team aspect involved as well as the individual,” Korda said of the new Olympic addition.

Adding this format fits with the IOC’s bigger goals of making sports more balanced between men and women and more innovative. This is the first time that golf has been played as a team sport at the Olympics since 1904. It shows that more athletes and governing bodies are supporting it.

While World No. 1 Thitikul, Hall of Famer Lydia Ko, and rising stars like Zhang and Woad have committed, Korda’s absence speaks loudest. Will WTGL evolve, or will it miss its revolutionary moment?