Nelly Korda has done her part, now it is time for golf to take over and make the most of her extraordinary talents.
By winning a second major title, with victory at the Chevron Championship last Sunday in Texas, the 25-year-old American tied the LPGA Tour record of five consecutive victories.
Korda played alongside legends Nancy Lopez (1978) and Annika Sorenstam (2004-5) achieving such a phenomenal feat of dominance. Nancy, Annika and now Nelly – golf athletes immediately identified as superstars by their first names.
Yet the question remains, what impact beyond the golf world will Korda’s run of success generate?
This should truly put her among the great athletes of our time, just like Scottie Scheffler’s winning streak among men.
Here we have two golfers whose performances should attract the attention of the general sporting public, not just golf fans.
But their victories have coincided with a steady decline in the sport’s television audiences in the United States of America, golf’s largest market.
Korda and Masters winner Scheffler produce extraordinary excellence that should spark greater acclaim. Fresh from donning the Augusta Green jacket, Scheffler won a tartan jacket following up with a convincing victory at the RBC Heritage.
This after wins at Bay Hill, the Players and a second place finish in Houston for the Dallas-based big star, who is a class above the rest in men’s soccer.
The same can be said of reigning Olympic champion Korda. She proved it by confirming the air of destiny that followed her throughout a tumultuous week here in Texas.
To get to this point, she had to recover from serious health issues, including a blood clot in her arm in early 2022, the year after her first major victory at the KPMG PGA.
Golf has become a relegated priority. “Then I was just more afraid for my health,” Korda admitted.
“The competition was a little bit in the back. I wasn’t thinking about competing at all.
“But I think all the sad times and health issues I went through made me who I am today.
“I think it matured me a lot, it made me the person I am today and I’m grateful for the ups and downs.”
At Chevron, she was always in control even though she found herself on the tougher side of the draw in the first two rounds. On Thursday’s opening circuit, she defied tricky, strengthening winds to birdie four of the final six holes and get straight into contention.
His name remained resolutely present in the rankings for the rest of the tournament. The Tokyo gold medalist had to get up at 4 a.m. local time to complete her third round on Sunday morning and she started the final 18 holes one shot off the lead.
The cool gusty winds of this last day worked in his favor, such is the quality of his ball striking and his exceptional composure. None of her rivals currently have the same ability to play golf at her level.
This was best illustrated on the final hole at Carlton Woods near Houston, where Korda was one of the few who could hold the green with her second shot on this final par five.
It was against the wind; the putting surface was rock solid despite the stormy saturation that had interrupted play mid-afternoon the day before.
Korda was feeling the pressure. History was on the line. “I was really nervous on that back nine,” she admitted. “I really, really wanted this win.”
It took him some time before he landed his second shot. The pace of play – as at the Masters – was glacial and the world number one is a refreshingly quick player.
Finally it was time to hit and she hit a beauty, inspecting the club to see the ball mark hitting the middle of her face as she walked after her shot.
She could finally smile. She three-putted to earn a record victory and her 13th LPGA title. She only needed two.
“It’s been an amazing feeling to know that I can continue this stretch and that if I stay in my bubble and keep golf simple, then I can have so, so much fun here,” she said.
“To get five in a row, and my lucky number is 13, and for me to get it here in Houston and come of age is even better.”
The conversation I had with my taxi driver on the way back from class was less edifying. “So, there was a tournament?” he asked.
He was not alone. I had to explain what was going on in this leafy part of the Woodlands to all but one of the dozen or so drivers who transported me to and from the course last week.
It certainly wasn’t a scientific poll, but it was one of many sobering reminders of golf’s failure to reach the masses, even when history is at stake.
Minutes before Korda began his quest last Thursday, American television turned away from Texas to broadcast the first round of the PGA Tour men’s event in Georgia. The Chevron has moved to niche cable.
That afternoon in the media center we watched for a long time as Rory McIlroy and Ludvig Åberg in a featured group at the Heritage rather than the draw of the event we were covering.
And despite the fact that we had US majors on consecutive weeks, I was apparently the only journalist covering both events there.
This may seem like insular evidence in the golf media, but how can women’s golf be elevated without proper coverage?
The investment of television channels is dwarfed compared to the production of men. They don’t have the resources to provide additional footage to mask the debilitating effects of slow play like those covering the Masters were able to do.
And for those who think women’s sports will never be able to reach the same heights as their male counterparts, perhaps they should consider Caitlin Clark’s impact on basketball.
As previously noted, the early version of the WNBA helped generate television audiences twice that of the Masters during a college game.
We are living in a great moment for women’s sport and, in Nelly Korda, golf has a superstar to capitalize on. Now it’s time for the game as a whole to take on this challenge.
And if that’s the case, the future should be very bright for the emerging talent behind Korda.
Among them was British amateur Lottie Woad, who matched compatriots Charley Hull and Georgia Hall to finish at one under par, tied for 23rd in her major debut.
“It’s been a crazy, whirlwind few weeks,” said the 20-year-old from Farnham, who emotionally won the Masters Augusta National Women’s Amateur curtain-raiser to earn her place in the Chevron field.
Woad added that comparing her game closely to that of the professionals and “not being too far off” was encouraging for her.
She is an extremely impressive prospect, a terrific ball striker and very confident on the greens.
“She has something special about her: a typically British reserve but a strong inner confidence,” former Women’s Open champion Karen Stupples told me.
Woad returns to college play now, but returns to the major stage at the US Open in late May.
Hopefully people will watch. Korda’s exploits mean there should be no excuses.