For most athletes, reaching World No. 1 is the culmination of a lifelong dream. But for Nelly Korda, it’s just a number with zero competitive advantage.

“I held the title a couple times. Obviously, it’s an amazing accomplishment. It’s something that I wanted to hold when I was a little girl. I think that just measures that you’re playing the best golf at the end of the day,” Korda said when asked about what it means for her to be in that spot.

“But it’s so different versus any other sport. Like in tennis, let’s say there is an advantage to being the No. 1 player in the world. In golf, there is no advantage to being the No. 1 player in the world. It just means you’re playing the best golf. When it comes to being an advantage, there is zero in golf, so for me it just means you’re playing the best golf. I don’t really focus on the ranking too much. I just focus on the simplicity of golf, of trying to go out there and do the best that I can.”

The 27-year-old was the world ranking leader for 71 consecutive weeks until August 2025. That’s when Jeeno Thitikul overtook her after an impressive fall season, including wins at the Buick LPGA Shanghai 2025 and the CME Group Tour Championship 2025.

However, she reclaimed the spot on April 26, 2026, after her wire-to-wire Chevron Championship win at Memorial Park, Houston. It was her 17th LPGA win and third major title.

Korda seized control from the start with an opening 7-under 65 and never looked back, ultimately carding rounds of 65-65-70-70 to win by a comfortable five strokes. Her performance was so commanding that she became just the third professional in 50 years to lead every round of an LPGA major by multiple shots.

In tennis, holding that position means many perks. For instance, players get seeding benefits, meaning they don’t clash with other elites early in any tournament. This increases their chances of advancing through the initial rounds and gives them better odds of going deep in the tournament. The world No. 1 in tennis also gets automatic qualification for the Grand Slam and the ATP/WTA Finals.

But Korda does not have any such benefits in golf. Every player in an LPGA event starts at the same starting point. And then there are midway cuts that affect every golfer, regardless of world rankings.

Korda noted her focus remains solely on playing golf, not on the numbers or rankings. And that focus helped her defeat Thitikul. After her win at the 2026 Chevron Championship, she revealed that 2025 taught her not to focus on “outside noise” and instead enjoy playing golf.

Korda is now headlining the field at the Riviera Maya Open 2026, where she is the heavy favorite to win the event.

Nelly Korda betting odds at the Riviera Maya Open 2026

The second edition of the Riviera Maya Open, a flagship LPGA event in Latin America, is from April 30 to May 3 at the scenic El Camaleón Golf Course, where a field of 125 golfers will compete for a $2.5 million purse before a cut after two rounds. Despite missing a few popular names, the field still features a competitive roster.

Korda has the highest betting odds of +210 for winning the Riviera Maya Open 2026. Following her is Akie Iwai with +800 odds. They are the only two with odds below 1,000. The next three on the list are Chisato Iwai (+1,200), Minami Katsu (+1,650), and Gaby Lopez (+2,000).

Apart from her numbers and ranking, her season so far also suggests that Korda has a strong chance of winning the event. Of the five starts she had in 2026, she won twice and finished runner-up in the remaining three.

While the odds favor Korda at the Riviera Maya Open, her ultimate test lies in maintaining the internal focus that has proven more valuable than any ranking.