Nelly Korda is playing remarkable golf in 2026

It's long been clear that Nelly Korda has had the potential to become a generational star on the LPGA Tour. She had won both the Women's PGA Championship and claimed Olympic gold in 2021 - but that promise looked to have been fully realised in 2024 when the American reeled off five consecutive victories - including a major title at the Chevron - to set a standard that we hadn't witnessed since the peak of Annika Sorenstam.

However, progress began to stall. There were missed cuts in other major championships, a bitter loss in the Women's Open at St Andrews, and a runner-up finish behind Maja Stark in the US Women's Open. 

Most surprisingly, Korda didn't record a single LPGA win in the entirety of 2025. She had relinquished her world number one ranking to Jeeno Thitikul and the persistent drum of doubts began to be heard more loudly.

Nelly Korda is Back to Her Very Best

But 2026 has been a striking riposte. Nelly Korda is back and might just be better than ever before.

The season-opening Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions was shortened to 54 holes due to inclement weather, a decision that wasn't approved by everyone, but Korda's three rounds of 68-71-64 were enough to bring an end to her winning drought.

Regardless of the circumstances, it was a fine start and a sign of what was to come. 

Finishing second in her next three appearances, Korda arrived at Memorial Park for the Chevron Championship as favourite, and she validated that billing by pulling clear of the field after 36 holes with a pair of 65s to lead by six.

It's rarely the smoothest situation for an elite player to find themselves in - Rory McIlroy illustrated that at the Masters - but Korda largely cruised from there and won by five shots, securing the third major title of a career that now edges towards Hall of Fame territory.

And, yes, it also restored the 27-year-old to the summit of the world rankings.

Nelly Korda's Incredible Results & Stats in 2026

Korda's five LPGA results this season are staggering - 1st, 2nd, 2nd, T2nd, 1st. You might think that seems like a limited number of events as we edge towards May, and you would be correct, but that strategy is deliberate as she attempts to find the perfect balance for both body and mind, as she explained back in December.

"It's probably 18 to 20 (events in one year) is my like perfect number, where it kind of like flows. I like being on max three in a row. I will not do four in a row. I've seen my body deteriorate over that and I kind of get into the zone of possibly getting injured."

This approach has already yielded much gold. Let's take a glance at the raw stats, where Korda (unsurprisingly) leads the LPGA Tour in terms of Strokes Gained Total. She also tops the Strokes Gained categories for Tee to Green, Off The Tee, and Approach. She's second in terms of Around The Green, but, if you want to pick a weakness, she is 77th in Putting, but the rest evidently makes up - and some - for that perceived deficiency.

What Comes Next For Nelly Korda?

More triumphs, especially in the other major championships, will be a target in the coming months. 2024 threatened to be the year when her dominance on the regular tour was reflected in the biggest events - although perhaps she had peaked too soon on that occasion.

But now, having established the perfect pace in terms of schedule, this may prove to be the season when Nelly Korda achieves something truly historic.