A group of little girls start chanting “Nelly, Nelly” on the iconic Madison Avenue in New York City, as Nelly Korda strolls past with a stride and vibe fit for a rock star and an enormous billboard she adorns in the background.
It follows a press tour that featured coveted spots on the US Today Show and CNBC at the Stock Exchange. She’s been to the Met Gala, has 1.5million followers on Instagram, was the seventh highest paid female athlete in 2025 and even made a cameo appearance on Happy Gilmore 2.
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Then there’s her on-course record; she’s a four time major winner, two of those from this year. In fact, the 27-year-old has been near unstoppable on tour in 2026 with four wins from nine starts and three second-place finishes.
In short, there’s something about Nelly.
This week the third major of the year, the Women’s PGA Championship, begins and it’s a special one for Australia. Minjee Lee is the defending champion, it’s at the same Hazeltine National Golf Club that Hannah Green won at in 2019 and it also marks 25 years since Karrie Webb won the major which sealed her career slam.
Yet the popular American threatens to steal the show this Aussie anniversary.
And even our greatest golfer, seven-time major champion and Hall of Famer Webb has been swept up in the Nellymania that’s hailing her a-once-in-a-generation talent.
“I would agree,” Webb told Foxsports.com.au.
“The shots that she was hitting I’ve never seen a woman hit shots like that. She’s going to change and elevate the game. Girls will be working on every part of their game to catch up to her.”
Nelly Korda is out to spoil the Aussie party.Source: Getty Images
Korda won the Women’s PGA Championship in 2021, so won’t be sealing a career slam this weekend. The Women’s Open and the Evian Championship, are the only majors she’s yet to win, leaving the door open for it to happen this year.
“As long as she’s as locked in as she is now, the sky’s the limit, lots of records will be broken,” said Webb.
Korda is blessed with impressive sporting genetics. Her parents were both professional tennis players with her dad, Petr, winning the Australian Open in 1998. Her older sister Jessica is also an LPGA player, while her brother Seb followed in their parents footsteps in tennis reaching a career high ranking of 15th in the world.
“I played a lot with Jess, her sister,” Webb said.
“And even when Jess was 20 or 21 said Nelly was going to be way better than she was and Nelly was only 11 or 12 years old at that stage. Jess definitely saw it coming.”
With her five majors, Korda now sits just two points short of LPGA Hall of Fame status.
“Only 2 or 3 years ago the younger generation of LPGA players were saying that the LPGA Hall of Fame criteria was too hard,” said Webb who remains the youngest player to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
“It’s supposed to make the generational talents shine (the LPGA Hall of Fame criteria) and I feel like that’s what’s happening right now and Nelly is definitely shining above her peers at the moment.”
WHAT MAKES THIS MAJOR SPECIAL FOR AUSTRALIA
This weekend marks the 25th anniversary of Webb claiming the career slam (which in women’s golf is defined by winning four of the five majors), she was the youngest to do so at just 26 years old.
“To be one of a very small select of LPGA players to have done it is a very special accomplishment,” she said.
But the memories are tinged with a touch of sadness. Her victory at the then named LPGA Championship sealed Webb’s fifth major in three years, but it almost didn’t happen.
Webb received word the night before the final round that her grandfather had suffered a severe stroke and fearing they wouldn’t make it back in time, her parents were forced to leave that night, missing her victory.
“There was a big discussion, I told my parents that I was going to fly home with them and I would withdraw,” Webb said.
“It was midnight and my dad and I were sitting in the fire escape stairwell and he told me that my granddad would kill me if I would withdraw,” Webb said.
“So I changed their flights and drove them to the airport before I teed off and they flew back to Australia. That round was pretty much a blur, I don’t remember much except I did walk up 18 with a sizeable lead.”
Karrie Webb after winning the LPGA Championship in 2001.Source: AFP
Webb was clearly emotional after her winning putt. While some confused the tears with the achievement of the slam, others knew it something was up with the usually steely faced champ.
“I was quite emotional when I won and people were surprised, so when I did my press conference afterwards they asked why I had that reaction. So I had to say that, well I think at that stage my parents had protected me. I thought they were going back in case he passed but I think they knew he wasn’t going to make it.”
Webb was close with her grandfather — he was the one who introduced her to golf, taking her out on-course every week when she was four years old, wheeling her around on his golf bag. The slam was the last thing on her mind in 2001 as she raced back to Australia the day after winning, but he sadly passed away as she was arriving home.
The Women’s PGA Championship has given her plenty of good memories in the years since though. It’s the major where she hosts her Karrie Webb Scholarship, where two up and coming Aussie golfers join her for the week as she shows them what life is like as a professional golfer from inside the ropes.
And then there’s Green’s 2019 major win at the same course this year’s event is being held.
“I celebrated like I won,” Webb says with a huge smile.
Green is a mentee of Webb’s and former scholarship holder and the legend was on hand with a band of Aussies on the final hole to run onto the green to drench Hannah in champagne.
The celebrations continued well into the night.
“It was the only time anyone has convinced the PGA of America to let the champion take the trophy home. I was the one who was the instigator of that,” Webb recalls.
“Then we found out we were in a dry county after 6pm, we found that out at 5.58pm and we still managed to find alcohol and have a party back at the house we were staying in. We filled it up with vodka and sprite, whatever Hannah wanted in there.
Wild scenes after Hannah Green’s win in 2019.Source: AFP
“I’m sure we did (wash it) but like I said I partied like I won, so my memory of the next morning isn’t great.”
Minjee Lee was also ceremoniously drenched in champagne after last year’s win and will be looking to defend her title this weekend.
Webb remains the only player to have completed the Super Slam (that’s the term given when you win all five majors in women’s golf) and believes she could have company soon.
“To win the Super Slam on the LPGA I think your game has to translate to all different types of golf courses because at three of them you’re playing different types of courses every year and then the other two, if you don’t love them, you have to try and love them,” Webb said.
“I think Minjee is one win away from a career grand slam and 2 from super as well so I think they’re both (along with Nelly) capable of doing it, it’s just that there’s a lot of great golf involved and a lot of luck as well.”