“I don’t think anyone can ever say anything bad about Scottie.” These were Nelly Korda‘s exact words about Scottie Scheffler back in 2024. The two #1s from the women’s and men’s golf share a great dynamic with each other as they dominate their respective leagues spectacularly. Not counting the achievements outside the LPGA and PGA Tours, both won 7 titles last year. That included a major and a few other big events. Their career seemed quite identical in 2024, and the story continued in the first half of 2025 as well.
Scheffler and Korda didn’t have a great start to 2025. Both of them struggled to retain their form from last season despite getting a few top-flight finishes. Mr. Inevitable broke the winless streak back in early May, leading up to his win in the 2025 PGA Championship. That led to Norry being nagged about parallels between herself and her fellow world #1 from men’s golf. But her response surprised everyone as she confessed to not watching Scheffler’s recent triumphs. Instead, Korda was determined to focus on her own game instead of watching others. However, it now appears that she has had a change of heart once again.
In a 2025 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship press conference, Korda was asked, “What were your impressions of what Scottie was able to do at Quail Hollow and how you can mimic some of that here this week?” Scheffler annihilated the field at Quail Hollow and lifted the Wanamaker Trophy with an emphatic 5-stroke lead against the field. As usual, everyone would have expected Korda to praise her fellow world #1 from men’s golf. And she didn’t shy away from praising the PGA Tour champion.
In response to the question, Korda stated, “Yeah, he’s just an incredible player, incredible human being, and how consistent he is week in and week out, that’s something to look up to.” Seems like she is back to her positive self. While still winless, Korda’s change of mind suggests that she is confident of performing well in the upcoming major. The T2 finish in the 2025 U.S. Women’s Open presented by Ally might have something to do with that. Scheffler’s great form recently might have also played a part in inspiring her to keep pushing for a win. She is undoubtedly closer to getting back to her best and starting to dominate the LPGA Tour again. And Fields Ranch East at PGA Frisco is the ideal place for her to begin the journey.
Credits: Imago
But things won’t come as easily for her in the 2025 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship as they did in the last major. Especially considering her record in the tournament last season. But something tells us she is well prepared for it.
Nelly Korda’s next big challenge could possibly be her next big win
Despite her incredible consistency last season, there were a few events where Nelly Korda failed to impress. One of them was the 2024 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. With a 6-over par at the end of Friday, the #1 missed the cut by one stroke. She would certainly have that looming over her mind. But then again, Korda’s form in the last couple of events might have also helped her build the confidence she needs to overlook the few failures from last year.
In 2024, Norry also missed the cut in the U.S. Women’s Open and the Meijer LPGA Classic. This season, she finished at T2 at Erin Hills, as we have already mentioned. While the 26-year-old didn’t participate in the 2025 Meijer LPGA Classic, she did get a T15 in the ShopRite LPGA Classic presented by Acer a week prior. Going into the 2025 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, Nelly Korda definitely has a lot of positives to help her push for a win. And if Scottie Scheffler believes that as far as competition between him and the LPGA Tour’s best golfer goes, “she’s got me pretty beat right now,” then there is no reason Nelly Korda can’t believe in herself to have the ability to beat the field at Frisco.
The post After Downplaying Scottie Scheffler’s Major Win, Nelly Korda Has a Change of Heart During $12M LPGA Event appeared first on EssentiallySports.
