Whirlwind week continues for Nelly Korda with bogey-free round in Mayakoba

Life is good for Nelly Korda right now.

She’s making splashes on and off the green, from Houston where she ascended back to No. 1 in the world rankings after a win at the Chevron Championship Sunday to the bright lights of New York City where her image dons a massive Nike billboard.

Korda is also set to become an aunt for the second time, with sister Jessica announcing Friday that she is pregnant. The top-ranked Korda has not been shy about how much being in that role for her nephew Greyson has changed her life.

“It’s been a hard secret to keep, but I’m so happy for them,” Korda said after her round in Mayakoba. "[Jessica] is just such an amazing mom, and to see her step into that role two years ago with Greyson, I’ve never seen her so happy.”

“Selfishly, really excited for me because I can spoil another little baby,” she added.

On the course, things are going extremely well for Korda, too. If you hadn’t heard, she has placed second or better in all five of her tournaments this year and currently sits tied atop the Riviera Maya Open after shooting a bogey-free, 5-under 67 to tie Brianna Do for the 36-hole lead.

Korda was succinct in assessing what it will take to close out at El Camaleón.

“Drive it straight, hit it close, and make putts,” she said.

Besides a 71 in Lake Nona and a 74 at Shadow Creek — both before the weekend — Korda has shot 70 or lower in every round this season. If she wins again this week, she’ll be the first American in 22 years to follow up a major victory with a win.

Where Nelly Korda stands on list of players with the most LPGA wins

Annika Sörenstam is widely considered the top modern female golfer of all time but does not hold the record for most LPGA Tour wins. Here’s who does and how far Nelly Korda is from the career benchmark.

• Steve Coulter,

• Steve Coulter,

The last LPGA player to do it was Celine Boutier in 2023.

“Not complaining about where I am on the leaderboard,” Korda said. “Hopefully I can continue playing well, good golf going into the weekend.”

The 27-year-old didn’t voice any concerns of fatigue, despite going straight to Mexico from her win at Memorial Park Golf Course but did reveal she was planning to stay out of the heat on Friday afternoon.

“I’m not going to sit in the sun, though, because I’ve been in the sun a for a long time the past two days and my body needs to just relax,” Korda told reporters.

In addition to the quick turnaround between events and already being a minted LPGA star who demands a sizable following on the course, Korda played the past two days with local phenom Gaby Lopez.

“The crowds have been amazing, to see the local support for her,” said Korda on Lopez, who sits inside the top 10 on the leaderboard at Mayakoba heading into the weekend. “Playing some solid golf and playing in front of fun crowds, hometown crowds for Gaby is fun to see.”