After winning three times in five months, Nelly Korda has decided to take a break. She finished the Riviera Maya Open on May 3 with a four-shot win at El Camaleón Golf Club in Mayakoba, Mexico. Right after her victory, she announced she would step away from competition for a week. For someone playing at her level, this is not unusual. It’s part of her routine.

Korda will miss the Mizuho Americas Open, which runs from May 10 to 13. She plans to return for the Kroger Queen City Championship in Cincinnati, Ohio, from May 14 to 17. She has already confirmed her spot in that event.

“Right now the only thing I’m focusing on is getting on my flight, going home, taking a few days off, and then practicing again,” she said.

The Kroger Queen City Championship is being held at Maketewah Country Club for the first time. The course, originally designed by Donald Ross and renovated in 2023 by Brian Silva, is the event’s third venue after Kenwood Country Club and TPC River’s Bend. Korda has finished in the top five at this event in her last two appearances.

This much-needed break comes after Korda won two tournaments in just seven days. The Riviera Maya Open win came only a week after she took the Chevron Championship title. With her consecutive wins, Korda became the youngest American to reach 18 career LPGA victories in 46 years since Nancy Lopez did it in 1980.

She is also one of only two players since 1980 to start a season with six consecutive top-2 finishes. The only other player to do that was Annika Sorenstam in 2001. Her 18th Tour win, which also helped her earn $375,000 of the $2.5 million prize money, also brought her to 23 LPGA Hall of Fame points, just four short of induction.

Her missing out on the coming competition is a routine pattern.

Nelly Korda’s scheduling pattern points to a Cincinnati return

After her victory at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions in January, she missed six weeks and three events on the Asian swing, returning only at the Fortinet Founders Cup in March. Most of that time was spent training with her coach, David Whelan, rather than resting.

The same approach was there in 2024. After her fifth straight win at the Chevron Championship, Korda withdrew from the JM Eagle LA Championship, citing mental and physical fatigue after playing four events in five weeks.

For now, we wish Korda a great week of resting and prepping. Once she returns, she will be accompanied on the course by the Tour’s top players: World No. 2 Jeeno Thitikul, defending champion Charley Hull, and former winner Lydia Ko. Korda has yet to win this event, and with a week of rest, Cincinnati is her next opportunity.