"Unstoppable momentum" is the phrase that best describes Nelly Korda of the United States these days. She has posted the remarkable record of three wins and three runner-up finishes in six tournaments.
Korda won the Mexico Riviera Maya Open at El Camaleon Golf Course (par 72) in Playa del Carmen, Mexico on Sunday (Korean time), carding one eagle, two birdies and one bogey for a 3-under final round and a 17-under 271 total. It was a commanding victory, four strokes clear of runner-up Arpichaya Yubol of Thailand. Based on her extraordinary "win-runner-up-runner-up-runner-up-win-win" run through six starts this year, Korda also leads overwhelmingly across various statistical categories.
With the $375,000 winner's check, Korda pushed her season earnings to $2,843,718 and is cruising atop the money list. She holds nearly a two-fold lead over second-place Hannah Green of Australia ($1,427,440). In the Player of the Year race, she leads with 156 points, roughly double the 79 points of second-place Kim Hyo-joo. She also tops the scoring average at 68.04, well ahead of Kim's 68.92 in second place.
Having reclaimed the world No. 1 ranking this year from Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand, Korda now draws attention over how long she can sustain this momentum.
In truth, Korda's golf is marked by sharp ups and downs. After winning seven times in 2024, she failed to claim a single title last year before surging again this season. Heavy seasonal influence is another defining feature of her game.
Korda's wins are concentrated in the first half of the year. Of her 18 career victories, 12 came between February and June. November is another productive period. By month, November accounts for the most wins at four. Intriguingly, she has never won a tournament during the three months from July to September. Korda is weak in summer.
There is another statistic the dominant Korda has yet to conquer: the money title. Even in 2024, when she won seven times, Korda led the money list deep into the season before Thitikul captured the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship and its $4 million prize to snatch away the title. In 2021, when Korda won four times, she also finished second on the money list behind Ko Jin-young. Can Korda finally break these two jinxes?
Korda is not competing in the Mizuho Americas Open, which runs for four days starting Thursday. With her momentum briefly on pause, the surging Korean women golfers are targeting a fourth season victory. The LPGA's 2026 season looks set to unfold as a compelling "KORDA vs KOREA" showdown.
