Nelly Korda played exceptionally well again at the AIG Women’s Open 2026. However, it was still not up to her standards, as she finished tied for fourth on the leaderboard. While some golfers could get frustrated by such near misses, she did not. In fact, her gesture away from the leaderboard showed the kind of star power that matters beyond results. She was still connecting with younger fans, which has now become her trademark at LPGA events.

Today, she took that to a whole new level by gifting her 3-iron with a broad smile to a young fan watching her play. The Ladies European Tour shared an Instagram post about it. As Korda walked away and the camera turned on the young girl, she was seen smiling ear-to-ear after getting the signed club from the World No. 1.

This isn’t an isolated event, though. Gift exchanges have become routine for Nelly Korda, and she isn’t always the one giving them. Many times, fans gift her something, too. Recently, at the US Women’s Open 2026, she gave her black visor to a young fan who was following her throughout the round.

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She is getting even more gifts from fans than she is giving. For example, when she went to Paris to participate in the Olympics in 2024, a fan gifted her a Pikachu keychain.

“I got a keychain that same guy gave me going down to the first tee and that’s on my bag, a Pikachu,” she revealed.

Apart from that, she also keeps getting Lego sets from fans, especially young girls. She admitted the same in a presser ahead of the 2025 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. She was asked how she balances achieving her goals and finding the next thing to climb. To this, she responded by saying that she wants to inspire the next generation of golfers. She then added that she has already built a good relationship with fans.

“Today, I had a girl come up to me, and she gave me another Lego set. It was so cute. I’m getting them every week now. I love it. It’s saving me money (laughter). But moments like that, interactions like that, that fuels my love for the game.”

This support and appreciation don’t just show up in the form of gifts. Earlier this year, at the Women’s PGA Championship, some young girls were wearing customized USA soccer-style jerseys. The jerseys featured her name above her favorite number, 13.

These sweet gestures are now the norm, regardless of how she performs in the event. At the AIG Women’s Open, Korda started the carded rounds of 73-68-73-68 to finish at T4, tying with her arch-rival Jeeno Thitikul. Earlier, she had a similar near miss at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, where she finished at T8 on the leaderboard.

These near misses after three wins and four runner-up finishes at the start of the season could be indicative of what she has already admitted.

“I always feel like maybe I’m a little bit more tired so the bad bounces get to me a little bit, mentally,” Nelly Korda said ahead of the AIG Women’s Open.

She admitted that all five majors are packed into a tight schedule in the middle of the year. Therefore, being in these intense-pressure moments can become tiresome, and this has reflected in her performances this season.