Where Will Nelly Korda Play Next After FM Championship Disappointment? Schedule Explored

Another week, another head-scratcher for Nelly Korda fans. Despite starting the week at the FM Championship with a blistering 5-under round on Thursday, Korda continues to puzzle everyone with no wins this season. She ended the week on Sunday with a 3-over 75 and finished in a tie for 35th at 6-under par, and this was the third time in her last six starts that she’s closed with a round of 3-over or worse.

Despite being the LPGA’s model of consistency in 2025, with no missed cuts in 14 events and leading the Tour in birdie average (4.59 per round), Nelly Korda’s winless streak continues to overshadow what is otherwise an impressive season on paper. And yet, there is no time to dwell. Korda will tee it up next at the Kroger Queen City Championship, set to take place from September 11 to 14 at TPC River’s Bend in Ohio. It’s a familiar setting for the 15-time LPGA Tour winner, as she finished tied for fifth at this event last year and will be hoping that a return to more comfortable territory can help reset what’s become a frustrating trend for her.

At the FM Championship, the trend continued. Despite an impressive opening round, which included a run of three straight birdies that landed her in the top five, Korda couldn’t close with a win. Her three-over round on Sunday was the second time since her final round at the 2025 AIG Women’s Open, where she shot 75, in three starts.

While she has managed to have several top finishes, Korda’s key area of struggle is scoring on the final day. Her final round average has increased from 69.58 in 2024 to 71.27 this season, which is two strokes worse.

The drop-off has been particularly glaring considering Korda’s 2024 season, where she put together one of the most dominant stretches in LPGA history, winning five tournaments in a row early in the year and finishing with seven total titles. This year, however, she’s still searching for her first trophy, despite displaying similar statistics as her 2024 season.

Nelly Korda’s current scoring average sits at 69.87, only slightly higher than last year’s 70.04, which places her second behind Atthaya Thitikul in scoring average, exactly where she stood at this point in 2024. “Statistically, I saw my stats, and seeing that I’m always in the top and some of my stats are maybe better than even last year, it’s just crazy,” Korda confessed ahead of the CPKC Women’s Open, where she entered a tournament for the first time in 17 months, not being the World No. 1.

Yet, even after losing her number one crown to Thitikul, Korda’s resume in 2025 is nothing to scoff at. She has had six top-10 finishes, which include two top-fives and two runner-up finishes — at the U.S. Women’s Open and the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions. She ranks within the top five in strokes gained off the tee (2, +0.94), tee-to-green (4, +1.58), and strokes gained total (3, +2.31), according to KPMG Performance Insights. Her stats are a testament to the fact that Korda’s game hasn’t regressed. If anything, it has remained incredibly sharp.

And while much of the focus has been on Nelly Korda’s inability to close out tournaments, a subtle yet telling development emerged earlier last week.

Nelly Korda made an equipment switch last week

Nelly Korda made a mid-season putter switch, hoping to turn things around for her.

After losing her World No. 1 ranking, Korda made the change, moving from a mallet-style putter to a blade-style TaylorMade putter, similar to the one she used during her winning stretch in 2024. “It’s kind of the head that I was putting with last year, but a TaylorMade,” exclaimed Korda, who was ranked 20th in strokes gained putting ahead of the FM Championship. But the decision wasn’t random.

It was driven by a desire to return to what once worked, both in terms of feel and results. She paired the blade head with a Super Stroke grip, indicating a deliberate attempt to reset her putting rhythm with something that felt familiar but not identical.

“I knew I had so much success with that kind of putter and felt confident with it. Obviously, it’s a different grip, too. It’s a Super Stroke. I just picked it out of the group of putters that I had and that I liked, and kind of went with it. I just needed to feel something different,” she added. The change signals that Nelly Korda is actively looking for answers and is not idly waiting for form to find her.