Nelly Korda experienced one of her most dominating stretches in 2024 with 7 LPGA titles. Naturally, heading into 2025, the expectations were sky-high. But the script has flipped. Despite not missing a single cut, Korda is still in the hunt for her maiden title this year. With multiple close calls adding up in her resume, a pattern has started to emerge. Let’s take a look at what the analysts believe to be Korda’s biggest setback.

To discuss Korda’s recent struggles this year, Randy, Cody, and Jordan joined together in the No Laying Up Podcast. One of the analysts, Randy, wasted no time addressing the “elephant” in the room, AKA Nelly Korda’s winless drought. He pointed out how this stat a year ago would not have made any sense whatsoever. However, only a year later, this is the gruelling reality. “You know, had we talked about—hey, 23 different women have won 22 events this year and Nelly not being one of those people—I stagger to think, you know, the amount of money we would have lost jumping on that bet last year,” Randy remarked.

Sure enough, it’s hard to believe that once World No. 1 on the Rolex Rankings would fumble so hard within a year of taking the headlines by storm. Bringing up her stats from the last year, Randy noted, “Last year, she had made 10 cuts. She had eight top 10s, seven top fives.” How do these stats stand this year? Korda’s top-10 finishes have dropped to five, with four top-fives and two runner-up results. However, beneath the surface, some interesting stats have come up that explain what went wrong for Korda.

Randy pulled several statistics about Korda, like her strokes gained and her green in regulation. “Last year she was just over 76% of greens in regulation, which ranked third on tour; she slipped. She’s just a little short of 73% this year, ranked 16th on tour. The putts per green in regulation are nearly identical—she was 1.76 last year, 1.77 this year.” However, none of them was as striking as Korda’s final-round performance. “If you can circle anything for Nelly, and I think putting of course ties into this—her round four scoring average.”

As Randy pointed out, the former World No. 1‘s final round average has increased from 69.58 to 71.27, two strokes worse. If we take Nelly Korda’s events into consideration, this pattern has come up again and again. First at the Founders Cup, Korda carded a final-round 71 to end at T7. Following up in the Amundi Evian Championship and the Women’s Scottish Open, Korda delivered final round 70s that nullified her 60s streak in the first few rounds. Although these are not the only losses, they sting worse since Nelly Korda began with a stellar performance in all these events.

Clearly, Sunday pressure has taken a toll on her mentally. Even though Korda’s stats don’t show any flashing danger signs, her final round struggles remain her one big weakness. In Randy’s words, “She just hasn’t been able to quite play as well on Sundays as she did last year and obviously has not had the win.” However, given Korda is no stranger to rallying crowds and Sunday duels, this stat feels even more disturbing. Now, teeing it up in Mississauga, will Nelly Korda be able to challenge that narrative?

Nelly Korda’s hunt continues at Mississauga, Canada

Nelly Korda’s quest for her first victory of 2025 continued at the CPKC Women’s Open in Mississauga, Canada, where she opened with a solid 2-under 69 in the first round. Despite an early bogey, she quickly steadied herself. Korda showcased her skill with precise iron shots and excellent distance control, even in tricky spots. One commentator noted on her distance control and shot-shaping, “Perfect distance control.”

Throughout the round, Korda demonstrated resilience in challenging conditions, including wind and tricky par fives. Her consistency carried into the second round, hitting 14 greens in regulation for the second day in a row and adding four birdies to her scorecard, putting her 2-under for the day and 4-under for the tournament. Commentators praised her smooth rhythm off the tee and shot-making, noting, “She’s looked really solid with her driver swings today, but very smooth and rhythmic. Stayed on top of it nicely.” 

However, the picture once again is starting to feel like her previous heartbreaks this year. Would Korda surrender to Sunday pressure once again? Or will she finally find her groove? Only two more rounds to find out.