Nelly Korda‘s ride from the pinnacle to the struggling waves of this season is fascinating. After bagging 7 tournament trophies, in which five were consecutive wins, and dominating the world number 1 spot, her fall to the ground shocked many. Despite registering decent showings in the events played, including a runner-up position in the US Open, Korda could not manage to secure a single win. Analysts scratched their heads, and Korda herself joked about it on her socials. But now, when the season is coming to a close, the chances of a redemption are thinner than before. And for Korda, her priorities lie somewhere else.

Health is the simple answer. Korda, when recently asked about her plans for the remainder of the season, replied that resting her body is what is on her mind at the moment. “I would say since kind of the summer it’s been go, go, go, go, go…having the two in Florida, International Crown in Asia, definitely if I have two weeks, prioritizing rest and recovery for my body.”

“The more I play, the more my body gets beaten up, especially with how condensed our schedule has been from kind of the beginning of the summer to right now with all the travel,” she further added. Korda is competing at the LOTTE Championship this week. In October, she might tee off at the Hanwha LIFEPLUS International Crown, and in November, she could be seen in The ANNIKA and the CME Group Tour Championship.

One look at her schedule this year would prove her point right. Korda has been constantly on course since the beginning of the year. From April to September, she has played in 14 events, making the cut in all of them. Her best finishes were a T2 in the US Women’s Open and a solo fifth place in the ISPS HANDA Women’s Scottish Open.

She wants to give her body proper rest. Her stats remain consistent, with a scoring average of 69.89 compared to 69.56 last year. She’s climbed from 34th to 20th in putting. To maintain this level, she must stay healthy, as any injury or fatigue could derail her performance. Past experiences only reinforce this caution.

She has a nagging neck injury to look out for. It has caused her to miss a pair of tournaments on the Asian circuit late in the 2024 season, and surely she would not want to have a repeat of that. This injury did repeat itself a few months back at the KPMG PGA Women’s Championship, but she played through it. She secured a T19 in that tournament.

“…With the injury that I had last year, every single time something kind of flares up in my neck now, I think I feel it a little bit more than what I used to,” Korda had said at the time.

Moreover, she has also dabbled with burnout and its emotional stress on her, something she would not want to experience again. Last year, she pulled out of the JM Eagle LA Championship, citing reasons such as exhaustion. She had just registered a fifth consecutive victory, and now her body was telling her to “get some rest.” “I feel I need to listen to my body and get some rest, so I can be ready for the remainder of the season.”

Keeping all this in mind, it’s a wise decision on her part to take some time off. Many other golfers, from the LPGA and even the PGA, have often raised their eyebrows at the golf’s schedule. Lexi Thompson had to take a semi-retirement because the burnout from all the golf was not coming off as good for her health.

And at the place where Korda is right now, she would not want to go down that path. She would want to climb back to the top and remain the best LPGA golfer out there. Matter of fact, her past results in the upcoming events have been stellar. She was the winner last year at The ANNIKA, which gave her that seventh LPGA title of the season. And at the Tour Championship, she has registered a T5 result over the last two years.

“This is the most exciting time of the year. It’s the home stretch, the busy part where you do get to represent your country overseas in Asia. There is nothing better than that…But at the end of the day, I think for me, always prioritizing my body is the most important thing. So I’ll be doing that when I’m home,” she concluded.

Having said all that, let’s look at how Nelly Korda relaxes during her time off golf.

How Nelly Korda unwinds beyond the fairways

Nelly Korda’s time off the course is just as intentional as her play on it. She often takes trips with her family, at times to Prague, where she connects with her roots and her grandparents. “Hanging around our family and disconnecting from the world has been important…” She also, at times, takes solo road trips as part of her recovery ritual. Then, if it’s winter, she would dabble in a bunch of fun activities like snowboarding, coffee heist, and much more.

Korda also focuses on fitness if time permits. Even while she rests, she has a rigorous routine that keeps her on her toes, so she hasn’t lost her edge by the time she is back on the course. Playing and watching tennis comes next, as her brother Sebastian Korda is often on the ATP Tour.

Through all these, Korda’s resting period is less about slowing down and more about creating balance that lets her return to golf recharged and sharper than before.