Nelly Korda’s Historic Reign: Olympic Gold, Record-Breaking Streak, and a Legacy in the Making

At just 26 years old, Nelly Korda, the current number one female golfer in the world, has made a lot of history in a sport where lore takes on an almost reverential tone—all those names painted on locker-room boards and etched on centuries-old silver trophies.

For one: Korda already has an Olympic gold medal, from Tokyo 2020. She is currently one of just two such competitors alive with that honor, as before the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games, women’s golf had been absent from the Olympics for (a shocking) 116 years. And earlier in 2024, Korda won five consecutive LPGA Tour events, which culminated with her second Major victory at the Chevron Championship held in The Woodlands, Texas. In taking that tournament, Korda tied Annika Sorenstam and Nancy Lopez for the longest professional streak ever in her discipline. The feat made global headlines and propelled Korda’s public image into a whole new stratosphere. She now has nearly a million followers on Instagram and retains prestigious partners, among them Tumi, the luggage brand, and Goldman Sachs.

“My favorite part of all of this, this entire journey, is seeing all the little kids who come up to me, telling me how I’ve inspired them to pick up the game,” Korda says of her increasing success (and fame) over a Zoom call from her hometown of Sarasota, Florida, in late July.

“The challenge of it, though, is being under more of a microscope,” she adds. “I’m going to make big mistakes, I’m going to make smaller mistakes, and all of it gets kind of amplified…but the good far outweighs the bad.” Her 2024 run has also, in part, brought newer eyes to women’s golf in general, which Korda notes has advanced significantly over the past decade.

“It has been incredible to see not just the audiences that we get, but the respect from sponsors in putting us on prestigious golf courses. That helps bring in a crowd. And I’d say, obviously, compared to the [men’s] PGA Tour, with their prize money and their TV deals, we have room for improvement, but I always say small goals lead to big goals.” For example, Golfweek reported that when the 2023 US Women’s Open was held for the first time at Pebble Beach Golf Links—a world-renowned course in California—the final round drew the most viewers ever for a LPGA tour event.

Korda was born in Bradenton, Florida, and she hails from a sporting family. Her father, Pietr, won tennis’s Australian Open, and her mother, Regina, is also an ex-professional tennis player. Her older sister Jessica is on the LPGA Tour too, and her brother, Sebastian, is on tennis’s ATP Tour (congratulations are in order for Sebastian: He just won the Mubadala Citi Open in Washington, DC.) Korda has golfed since she was a child and became familiar with the LPGA all the way back in 2011, when her sister was a rookie on the circuit.