Scottie Scheffler may be the hottest player on the PGA Tour at the moment but there’s one golfer who’s arguably even better right now: Nelly Korda.
The LPGA superstar is one tournament away from history as she enters the Cognizant Founders Cup in Clifton, New Jersey, this week.
Her second major victory at the Chevron Championship last month was her fifth straight win and tied streaks set by Nancy Lopez in 1978 and Annika Sorenstam in 2004-05.
And she has teed herself up to not only break that record but also hunt down another mark belonging to Tiger Woods this weekend.
The World No. 1 opened with a round of three-under 69 on Thursday and followed it up with a six-under 66 Friday to put herself in contention in third heading into the weekend.
Nelly Korda clinched her second major victory at the Chevron Championship last month
The triumph was her was her fifth straight win and put her one victory away from history
The World No. 1 could break the LPGA record this week and move within one of Tiger Woods
If the American can close out another victory in New Jersey this weekend, she will not only break the LPGA record but also tie Ben Hogan’s streak of six straight wins in 1948 and move within one of Woods’ run.
The 15-time major winner beat his own streak of six from the 1999-2000 seasons by dominating in 2006 and starting his 2007 campaign by claiming the Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines to take his total of consecutive victories up to seven.
Korda still has a way to go if she intends to match Byron Nelson, who holds one of sports’ untouchable records after reeling off 11 straight wins amid his 18 victories of 1945.
But Korda’s streak is made all the more impressive by the fact it has contained only two rounds in the 70s.
Friday’s round was her 13th consecutive round in the 60s, not including a match play title that was her fourth win in the five-tournament win streak. Her last round above 69 was an opening-round 72 on March 21 at the Fir Hills Seri Pak Championship, which she won in a playoff for her then-second straight victory.
‘I have not thought about the streak at all, honestly,’ Korda said. ‘I think that’s only going to do more harm for me than do good. Big thing for me is taking it a shot at time and being present and in my own bubble. That’s what I’m focusing on.
‘I’m not trying to think about the outside noise. Would it be amazing? Of course. But it’s still so far away and proud of what I’ve achieved so far.’
While the streak may not be her sole focus, it’s safe to say Korda’s life is pretty dreamy right now and the dream continued Monday when she made a little bit more golfing history – just on fashion’s biggest carpet, rather than the course.
The American jumps into the lake after winning the Chevron Championship
The major win saw her tie Annika Sorenstam (L) and Nancy Lopez (R) for consecutive wins
Korda is arguably in hotter for than the men’s World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler (pictured)
Korda became the first LPGA player to walk the infamous steps at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on the first Monday in May.
She once again followed in the footsteps of the game’s greatest, becoming the first pro golfer since Woods to attend Vogue’s Met Gala more than a decade ago. It felt somewhat fitting considering Korda is arguably women’s golf’s equivalent to the Big Cat.
She said she felt ‘like a princess’ to waltz up the Met steps, like we’ve only ever seen the likes of Serena Williams, Simone Biles and Megan Rapinoe – their sports’ biggest female names – do before. Now Nelly is giving golf its moment.
Fans are finally realizing the greatness of women’s sports and Korda just keeps serving up greatness.
She was offered a choice of gowns from prestigious fashion house, Oscar de la Renta, opting to wow in nude mesh, strapless dress embroidered in red applique poppies for ‘The Garden of Time’ theme.
She also had her very first-ever spray tan, insisting she couldn’t very well mingle among the A-Listers of the fashion world with a golfer’s tan.
Yet, despite being the LPGA’s cover girl, Korda admitted to being starstruck over Shakira, and gushed about Jaden Smith – the son of Will Smith – being the first person to greet her.
‘I think I’m just a grain of sand in such a big, big room,’ she said. ‘I was just in awe the entire night.’
Korda became the first LPGA player to walk the infamous steps of the Met Gala Monday
She the first pro golfer since Woods to attend Vogue’s Met Gala more than a decade ago
The LPGA cover girl revealed she also had her very first-ever spray tan, insisting she couldn’t very well mingle among the A-Listers of the fashion world with a golfer’s tan
Korda joined the likes of Serena Williams as female athletes to attend the fashion event
Retired USWNT star Megan Rapinoe and Olympic gymnast Simone Biles have also attended
While Korda may have felt somewhat small amid fashion royalty Monday night, she hails from a family that can stake a claim to the title of a sporting dynasty.
The Kordas’ dad Petr was a professional tennis player, who emerged victorious at the 1998 Australian Open, while their mom Regina Rajchrtova was also a professional tennis player, representing Czechoslovakia at the 1988 Seoul Olympics.
So naturally, the three Korda siblings have been gifted with athletic talent.
Nelly’s older sister Jessica is also a professional on the LPGA, who has six victories on the Tour since her rookie year in 2011.
In May 2023, she announced she will stop playing indefinitely to rehab her back injury that has been troubling her.
The 31-year-old married realtor Johnny DelPrete in 2021 and she became the first LPGA mom of 2024 when the couple welcomed their son Greyson John DelPrete in February.
The youngest Korda sibling, Sebastian, followed in their parents’ footsteps, playing on the ATP Tour, and has reached a career high ranking of No. 23.
Meanwhile, Korda is also dating within the sporting world. Golf’s golden girl is in a relationship with NHL player Andreas Athanasiou.
Korda hails from a family that can stake a claim to the title of a sporting dynasty
Korda’s dad Petr and her mom Regina Rajchrtova were both professional tennis players
Pert Korda emerged victorious at the 1998 Australian Open (pictured with Nelly in 2023)
It’s no surprise that the Korda siblings are athletically talented – pictured LR Jessica, Sebastian and Nelly
Korda and Athanasiou first began dating in 2019 – going public in a since-deleted Thanksgiving Instagram post.
The athletic couple have regularly attended each other’s games and tournaments with Athanasiou once even spotted carrying the golfer’s bag but keep their relationship fairly private.
The Canadian hockey player is a center for the Chicago Blackhawks after being drafted 110th overall by the Detroit Red Wings in the 2012 draft and going on to spend stints at the Edmonton Oilers and LA Kings.
Korda wore a Blackhawks’ jersey at the CP Women’s Open in Canada in 2022 after Athanasiou signed to the team.
In 2023, Korda finished just outside Forbes’ Top 10 highest-paid female athletes, coming in at 11th.
She pocketed $1.7million in winnings but the main source of her wealth came off the course.
Last year, she reached a new level by upgrading her sponsor portfolio, signing with Delta Air Lines, Goldman Sachs, Nike, TaylorMade Golf and T-Mobile, amassing $6.5million in endorsements, according to Forbes.
In just the first four months of this year, Korda has already improved on 2023’s earnings on the course, winning $2.4m and taking her total career winnings to $11.4m.
Nelly’s older sister Jessica is also a professional on the LPGA, who welcomed a son in February
Korda is also is in a relationship with NHL player Andreas Athanasiou (pictured left in 2021)
The Canadian hockey player is a center for the Blackhawks, who has also played for the Kings
While a flush bank account certainly doesn’t hurt, Korda’s success both on and off the course has the opportunity to not only benefit her but also women’s golf as a whole.
Following her fifth LPGA victory in a row, Korda was asked what it is going to take to elevate the women’s game.
‘We need a stage,’ Korda replied. ‘We need to be on primetime TV, and we need to showcase the talent we have out here, which is a lot. We also need the support from not just the crowds but the television networks.’
And Korda may just be the key to securing the stage the LPGA needs.
There have already been exhaustive comparisons made between Korda and the WNBA No. 1 Draft pick Caitlin Clark – even from former World No. 1 Lilia Vu.
‘She’s kind of our Caitlin Clark out here,’ Vu said, referencing the former University of Iowa point guard.
Vu added: ‘She is bringing so much to the table — just win after win, just having it, having everything together. She’s done such a good job. So well-liked and loved out here. She brings a big following. She’s a great person.’
But those comparisons are not without merit.
There have already been comparisons between Korda and the No. 1 Draft pick Caitlin Clark
Clark, who finished her collegiate career at Iowa in the championship game before being selected by the Indiana Fever last month, rewrote record books for scoring and assists for both men’s and women’s college basketball players.
Her final appearance in the women’s NCAA title game drew 18.9 million viewers, the most for a basketball game at any level since 2019 and marking the first time ever the women’s championship game bested the men’s. And her impact has continued into the WNBA.
Meanwhile, the final round of the Chevron drew a peak audience of almost 1.9 million on NBC with an average of 936,000 tuning in for the final round, making it the most-watched edition of the major since 2010, according to Golf Monthly.
Amid Met Gala appearances and record-making rounds, there’s no reason to suggest that Korda can’t establish a similar attention-grabbing profile to Clark, she just needs the right backing.
She is undeniably the the face of the LPGA and the tour needs to seize on the opportunity to market her new celebrity status to give women’s golf the Caitlin Clark treatment and with it, the spotlight it deserves
And this weekend Korda has the chance to both put herself in the history books and women’s golf on the big stage.