Nelly Korda returns to Chevron in search of first victory of 2025

THE WOODLANDS, Texas – After every course of Monday night’s champions dinner – whether it was the caviar or the cream of mushroom soup – Nelly Korda received a round of applause. The world No. 1 got a kick out of the praise.

“Yeah, I was in the back making this all day for you guys,” she said with a smile.

Renowned chef Thomas Keller curated the menu for Korda, who won her fifth of sixth consecutive events last year at the Chevron Championship.

Korda, 26, comes into the season’s first major in a much different position in 2025: winless. And while that comes as a surprise given her dominance last year, the 15-time LPGA winner isn’t living in the past.

“I would say last year is last year,” said Korda in her pre-tournament press conference in Texas. “This is a brand new year. What I achieved last year, no one can take that from me. That’s always going to be such a great memory, but it’s a fresh week and fresh mindset.”

At last week’s JM Eagle LA Championship, Korda saw some improvement with her iron play and feels more comfortable with her swing. This week at the Club at Carlton Woods, she’s looking for her putter to click.

“I think that’s where it’s been lacking,” said Korda, “is the putts that I was making last year, I’m just not making as many this year.

“But I think that’s just golf. I’ve gone through waves like this before, and if I just continue working at it, hopefully it does click.”

Korda arrived from Los Angeles on Monday afternoon and was unable to see the golf course. She played in the nine-hole pro-am on Tuesday afternoon but, with the tour’s restrictive pro-am regulations, was unable to get in extra practice on her own ball. This year, the tour tightened up the language on its pro-am policy to speed up play and encourage players to focus more on the entertainment aspect of the pro-am and less about their own practice. There’s always been a fine structure in place to keep them motivated to stay on task. This year, it’s actually being enforced.

“I’ll probably go out and play 18 tomorrow,” said Korda. “I’m not used to this. Usually I’ll play nine, nine, nine, but since I didn’t get in until late yesterday and we had the champions dinner, I didn’t get to play nine yesterday.”

Korda’s parents, Petr and Regina, arrived on Tuesday and will stay with her for the week. She plans to have her dad join in on the Lego fun she’s started doing week to week and maybe play a few games of Sequence.

Korda didn’t give a speech at Monday’s dinner but mingled with champions past and present. Stories were told at the table, but no one got up and addressed the room. Korda sat at a table with LPGA Hall of Famer Juli Inkster, Lexi Thompson, Pernilla Lindberg and Lilia Vu, who particularly enjoyed the evening’s banter.

“That’s basically our Masters dinner,” said Vu, the 2023 champion who was forced to withdraw last year due to a back injury.

Two-time champ Brittany Lincicome raved about the American Wagyu Beef.

“I sat next to Helen Alfredsson, who doesn’t eat beef, so she gave me hers,” said Lincicome with a big smile. “Winning!”

The pool-like pond that Lincicome jumped into at the Dinah Shore Tournament Course in 2009 and 2015 looked nothing like the murky water Korda experienced last year in Texas on the 18^th at the Nicklaus Course. If she were to win again this year, Korda said she wouldn’t hesitate to jump back in with her team. That being said, she was the last one in and the first one out of the water last year.

“Once my feet hit the ground, I was like oh my God, this is so slimy. I’m getting right out!” said Korda. “Definitely not as clear as it was back in Palm Springs, but traditions have to live on.”