Four rounds of 73-67-67-69. A finish at -8. And Nelly Korda, with teary eyes, holding the U.S. Women’s Open trophy she had dreamed about since she was a little girl. This was the scene at Riviera. This win did not just check a box; it set up a summer that could define her career entirely.

The win not only gave her $2.5 million but also helped her earn two more points toward the LPGA Hall of Fame, taking her total to 25. She now sits two points short of the 27 needed for induction. Every major win gets a player two points; every non-major win gets one.

Korda turns 27 on July 28, and if she earns her Hall of Fame induction by then, or even within 3 months and 16 days of turning 27, she will become the youngest LPGA Hall of Fame inductee. Right now, it is Lydia Ko. She secured her enshrinement at 27 years, 3 months, and 17 days old by winning the gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

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Korda is set to play in the Dow Championship, and a win there would earn her 1 point; her win at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, scheduled from June 25 to 28, could also earn her 2 points. Other than HoF induction, her career grand slam is also within reach this season.

If Nelly Korda wins either the Amundi Evian Championship (July 9-12) or the AIG Women’s Open (July 30 to August 2), she will earn the Career Grand Slam at 27 years old. She has four major championships to her name so far: the 2021 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, the 2024 Chevron Championship, the 2026 Chevron Championship, and the 2026 U.S. Women’s Open.

Per LPGA guidelines, winning four different majors earns a player the Career Grand Slam. And Nelly Korda has three under her name; all she needs is one more major win. If she wins both remaining, she will complete a super career grand slam.

So far in 2026, Korda has had four wins, seven top-10s in eight starts, $5.4 million in earnings, and 2,600 CME points at No. 1 on the Race to CME Globe. Not only that, but with this major, she has written her name in the history books.

She is now the youngest American to win four majors since Mickey Wright did it in 1960. The U.S. Women’s Open win also made her the first American woman to claim the title while sitting at World No. 1 since the Rolex Rankings came into existence in 2006. On top of that, no American had won the first two majors of a season since Pat Bradley pulled it off in 1986, a gap of 40 years.

The winning moment at the 18th was emotional, and the golfer expressed her feelings openly.

“I feel like I’m in a dream. I’m just extremely proud of my fight this week and the dream of that little girl that you kind of get to check that off your bucket list,” she said.

USGA CEO Mike Whan put it plainly: “She’s the needle mover that makes people outside of golf pay attention.”

Nelly Korda’s caddie McDede said, “I don’t think she’ll ever get a moment like this again.”

Korda’s US Women’s Open win is a big one, and her family, as well as even Tiger Woods, had immense confidence in her.

Nelly Korda’s support system that never wavered

So, after the win, her father, Petr, was in happy tears, and he had nothing but praise for her daughter.

“She’s probably the icon of golf right now,” he said.

And her sister Jessica admitted she barely slept and also took credit for a grip change mid-major that clearly worked out.

Korda’s mental preparation had a surprisingly simple anchor this season. She started writing positive notes to herself every morning, a habit she picked up watching other athletes.

“I started at the beginning of the year writing positive notes to myself in my bathroom,” she said.

The Post-It notes travel with her now, stuck to hotel mirrors each week.

Fiance Casey Gunderson has been another steadying presence. Jessica described him as someone who brings calm to what she laughingly called Korda’s “tornado mess.” Interestingly, on Sunday morning, as reported in GOLF.COM, Korda also received a text from Tiger Woods: “Finish it off today.”

She did. And standing next to the trophy afterward, Korda reflected on how far the journey had come.

“That 14-year-old girl who stepped on the range at Sebonack in 2013, her dream has just come true sitting next to this trophy right now,” she said.