Last weekend was a roller coaster of emotions for Nelly Korda! She became the third player to win the 2024 Rolex ANNIKA Major Award after earning her 12th career top-10 finish in a Major Championship. Only Michelle Wie West (2014) and Lilia Vu (2023) have won it before her. However, the AIG Women’s Open trophy slipped away from her grasp by just a few points.
The Rolex No. 1 player bagged an even par round on Sunday, finishing with a 5-under, tying for the runner-up position with Running Yin, Lilia Vu, and Jiyai Shin. She was only two strokes away from Lydia Ko, which made her attempt at grabbing another major victory fail, and it could not get worse for her. But the question is, after the heartbreak in Massachusetts, where will she play next?
Nelly Korda to miss the FM Championship
After concluding the final major of the season, the LPGA Tour will be returning to the US for the inaugural FM Championship in Boston. It is set to begin on August 29, and all the LPGA players are practicing in full swing to grab the first title for the event.
However, the official website of the LPGA Tour revealed the entire 144-player field list and Nelly Korda was not mentioned. Although there have been no evident reasons mentioned as to why, it looks like the 26-year-old has her eyes on winning the Solheim Cup this year.
The biennial golf tournament will take place in Europe in two weeks. She is among the nine players who automatically qualified for the event and will be playing for the Stacy Lewis-led USA team.
USA Today via Reuters
“To win on so many different types of golf courses, in different types of weather, under so many different conditions, when the pressure is on, it’s a testament to what an amazing athlete and competitor she is,” said an excited Lewis to have Korda’s spot filled so early for the team. There is no doubt that she was indeed left impressed, even looking at her performance at the Solheim Cup the last time she made an appearance.
Nelly Korda’s performance in the 2021 Solheim Cup
Team Europe won the Solheim Cup back-to-back in 2019, and 2021. However, the last edition saw a fierce Nelly Korda enter the course. Although the USA lost the cup, Korda won both her foursome matches with Allisen Corpuz at Finca Cortesin. However, she lost the four-ball match, where she was partnered with Ally Ewing, and fell short of swings to Carlotta Chanda in the final singles matches.
Nonetheless, Nelly Korda has an impressive 7-4-1 record in her past three appearances at the Solheim Cup for Team USA. She has also earned a total of 7.5 points for the team, making her an asset. Do you think taking time off from the course and entering the Solheim Cup will help her return in better form? Let us know in the comments section below!
