World No. 1 ranking. Two major championship victories. Four LPGA wins. Eight top-ten finishes. Nelly Korda is celebrating her incredible year so far with a victory tour of the Big Apple.
Straight from the Dow Championship in Midland, Michigan, the 27-year-old arrived in New York City and hit the ground running on Monday. Korda started her morning with a visit to the TODAY show and described the moment she sank her “ice cream swirl” putt to become a U.S. Women’s Open champ for the first time.
“I could not feel my hands I was so nervous,” Korda explained on TODAY. “I did not feel anything in my body. It ended up in the bottom of the cup and that’s what matters.”
Advertisement
Finally. Korda covered her mouth with her hand after sinking the precarious putt, relieved and overjoyed. Obviously, the top-ranked women’s golfer is no stranger to pressure, but this was different. While she had many titles prior to her win at Riviera Country Club just over a week ago, including Olympic gold medalist, major champion and Rolex Player of the Year, the women’s national championship had eluded Korda in her first 11 starts. Until now.
“Everything that I worked for, everything that I dreamed about, it just came true. It’s a pinch-me moment for sure,” Korda told TODAY.
It’s been no secret in the golf world that this is what Korda wanted, this is what she had worked so hard for, this was the ultimate goal. As a U.S. Women’s Open winner, she’s now looking back at the journey.
“Ride the waves, ride the rollercoaster and dream big,” Korda said she’d tell her younger self. “Work hard, put your head down and just dream big and go after what you want for sure because it’s always possible.”
Advertisement
The message transcends golf and sports itself, and at 27 years old, to say you’ve accomplished everything you’ve worked for is not something many can say. So, what’s next for Nelly?
“I’m just really enjoying the moment,” Korda told CNBC after stopping by the NY Stock Exchange.
Not a bad plan. She’s in the prime her career in terms of performance and value and just raked in the largest purse in women’s golf major history at $2.5 million. Not to mention, she’s sponsored by the likes of Nike and Goldman Sachs and was just recently named to TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in Sports list.
And she even found probably the best reason to visit Times Square: Herself.
Next up, Korda has a chance to complete the career Grand Slam, recognized by the LPGA as winning four out of the five major championships during a player’s time on Tour. Later this summer, she’ll play the Amundi Evian Championship and AIG Women’s Open — if she takes home either major championship, she can add another title to her name: Grand Slam winner.
Advertisement
Almost forgot, she’s just two points away from qualifying for the tour’s points-based Hall of Fame, which means either two regular LPGA victories or one major win.
Which means Korda has one more title within a club’s reach: Hall of Famer.
Read the full article here