Tee Sheet: Nelly Korda's Interesting and Unusual Habit

The countdown to major season is here, folks. With the Masters just two weeks away and the Chevron Championship coming in hot at the end of April—the world's best are shaping into their final form. But as Q1 (yes, I'm pulling out corporate jargon) winds down—you can't help but notice that in the first 12 weeks of the year, the top-ranked players in the world—Scottie Scheffler and Nelly Korda—are winless. Scheffler's ravioli-related injury sidelined him at the beginning of the year, while Korda intentionally has taken time away after just two starts in 2025.

We've seen this move from Korda before—last year she went into her personal "off season" with a win under her belt, at the Drive On Championship, before jetting off to Prague for training.

She told Golfweek earlier this week, "I mean, it's always nice to take time off where you're not injured and you're kind of trying to hopefully become better and catch up on maybe some lost time."

The LPGA's formal off season during the holidays isn't much of a break for Korda. Over the last couple of years, once the season wraps at the conclusion of the CME Group Tour Championship, Korda and 15 other LPGA stars team up with PGA Tour players for the Grant Thornton Invitational—which is held just two weeks after CME.

Then Korda goes on to participate in everyone's favorite family event, the PNC Championship, alongside dad, Petr.

While others take December off from competitive golf, Korda is still getting in her reps. So while the LPGA goes international for the first Asia swing, Korda chooses to take time off.

And we saw exactly what her purposeful time-off has done for her. Last year, after time away, Korda was on an absolute heater. She won the FIR HILLS SERI PAK Championship (which was cancelled for this year) before winning the Ford Championship—which is the same event she's chosen to make her return at this year after over a month off, rested and ready to defend her title.

In an early week presser ahead of the Ford Championship, Korda touched on her finding her "zone" throughout her career.

"Last year and I would say I had it [and] a little bit in 2021 for a certain period," Korda said. "But golf always humbles you, so it’s easily lost as well.”

Well said, Nelly. Because despite a successful spring of 2024—winning six times, including the Chevron major title—the summer was a bit of a slump. Korda missed three consecutive cuts while also dealing with a neck injury that forced her to take extra time off this past fall.

But once again, despite an prolonged stint away from competitive golf, Korda pulled out historical win number seven on the season at The ANNIKA in November.

History has a tendency to repeat itself, and at any point, Korda can get back on her heater and be the hardest person in golf to go up against.

And as a reminder, by no means is she playing poorly—Korda has top-10 finishes in both tournaments she’s played to date in 2025: a tie for seventh at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions and a tied for seventh at the Founders Cup.

It's never the topic of "if" with Korda, it's "when", and it's only a matter of time before the world No.1 is back in the winner's circle.