Nelly Korda ended her trophy drought at Lake Nona in February 2026 to kick off the season at the weather-shortened Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions. However, since that victory, she has been absent, skipping competition for six consecutive weeks. Although the break is finally coming to an end this week at the Fortinet Founders Cup, there will be challenges ahead.
“I’m still trying to tighten up loose ends; this is really my first week back in playing mode, especially with walking. That’s the biggest adjustment. The bottoms of my feet are sore, and so are my shins,” Korda said during her pre-tournament press conference at Sharon Heights Golf and Country Club.
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This wasn’t the first time Korda has missed the Asian leg of the Tour. She skipped both Asia swings in 2022 and 2025 to manage injuries, including a blood clot in 2022 and neck spasms in 2025. But what makes this health update a bit unexpected is that her legs are the pain points. Her health issues affected her performance on the LPGA Tour, leading to multiple withdrawals.
She had to withdraw from the LPGA events in Korea (BMW Ladies) and Malaysia (Maybank Championship) back in 2024 due to a neck injury while practicing. Since then, it has become a recurring issue as she again revealed a return of the issue during the 2025 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. In October, Korda withdrew from the 2025 International Crown for the same reason.
“I’ve seen my body deteriorate over that. and I get into the zone of possibly getting injured,” she said once. “Golf is already tough mentally, and then flying cross-country, traveling by yourself, sleeping in a different bed—I’m getting to the age where I’m feeling that now.”
Despite not being fully recovered, Korda hopes to capitalize on her previous success at this $3 million event, where she secured a top-10 finish in 2025, finishing seventh.
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“I think maybe you’re a little fresher. You’re just super excited to be back out, competing, playing among the best golfers in the world. I think you’re just your mind is a little bit more refreshed,” Korda noted regarding her return.
And while fans saw a six-week gap on the leaderboard, Korda was anything but idle. Her time off was a focused training block rather than a vacation. She took only five actual days of rest during the entire six-week period. For the rest of the days, she was out putting in significant effort with her coach, David Whelan.
In late 2024, after skipping the fall Asia swing due to a minor neck injury, she returned to win the ANNIKA. Her current goal is to replicate her successful return and accelerate her performance immediately in California.
“And, yeah, you’re already eager to get out and play instead of just being on the practice area, kind of grinding on your game. You’re just very eager to go out and post a number.”
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However, the competition at Sharon Heights Golf Club presents a formidable challenge.
The elite wall of contenders: Can Nelly Korda beat the field?
Defending champion Yealimi Noh arrives to protect her title after winning it for the first time. Jeeno Thitikul, Lydia Ko, Rose Zhang, Minjee Lee, and the rising star Lottie Woad will also be there to challenge the world #2.
The current World No. 1, Thitikul, is coming off a historic 2025 season where she set an all-time LPGA scoring record of 68.68, breaking Annika Sörenstam’s 2002 benchmark. Thitikul finished 2025 with 14 top-10 finishes in 20 starts, and in 2026, she already won at the Honda LPGA Thailand with a 24-under-par total.
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The LPGA Hall of Fame and world #6 Lydia Ko have remained silent since the HSBC Women’s World Championship 2025. She will undoubtedly seek an opportunity to improve her performance. The 22-year-old Woad, who almost won the HGV 2026 but suffered a late blowout in round 3, is entering the week after a T15 finish at the Honda LPGA Classic Thailand and a T10 finish at the HSBC Women’s World Championship.
How Korda plays here with sore legs and shins remains to be seen.
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