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Lytham St Annes: Nelly Korda is instantly recognisable, even from a distance across the windswept dunes at England\u2019s Royal Lytham course.<\/p>\n
As fans filed in ahead of the Women\u2019s British Open, the final major of the year, most searched for the world No.1.<\/p>\n
![\"Nelly](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/fb88b0d80df2987241671e156f6f345da4957bec.jpeg\")
Nelly Korda in action during the Pro-Am on Wednesday before the Women\u2019s Open at Royal Lytham.R&A via Getty Images<\/p>\n
It didn\u2019t take long to locate the tall, athletic frame of the American, not least for the fact her outfits alone have Nike X-factor compared to the rest of the field: baggy, camouflage pants, and a cropped, luxe sweater.<\/p>\n
Then there\u2019s the balance and power of the 28-year-old\u2019s golf swing \u2013 equal parts natural talent, which she shares with a family of tennis and golf stars, and more than two decades of hard work advancing from Florida\u2019s ultra-competitive junior golf scene to the LPGA Tour.<\/p>\n
Korda isn\u2019t just the biggest drawcard in women\u2019s golf; she\u2019s among the biggest women\u2019s sports stars in the world. Worthy of a mention alongside basketballer Caitlin Clark, gymnast Simone Biles and tennis player Coco Gauff.<\/p>\n
But Korda is a reluctant star; one who concedes she was unprepared when her profile soared in 2024.<\/p>\n
![\"Nelly](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/dcc2dd4e668fc3d70a540e8c862a3ca64697da57.jpeg\")
Nelly Korda tees off.Getty Images<\/p>\n
That year, she became a multiple major winner with her second trophy, won seven LPGA Tour titles including a record-equalling five in a row, returned to the Olympic stage in Paris as the gold medal winner from the previous games in Tokyo and became the first golfer since Tiger Woods to appear at the Met Gala in New York.<\/p>\n
A year later, she was featured in Sports Illustrated\u2019s Swimsuit Issue.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have had to learn that,\u201d Korda said at Royal Lytham about dealing with her heightened fame. \u201cIt\u2019s not something that just like came with it. In 2024, it was a lot at once, and I had to go through last year to even embrace it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The 19-time LPGA Tour winner can at times be coy with the media, appearing to draw a line between the public and private versions of herself. But, in 2026, Korda\u2019s celebrity and results have taken off.<\/p>\n
She won the first two majors of the year, including an epic battle with England star Charley Hull at the US Women\u2019s Open at Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles. <\/p>\n
She\u2019s searching for a maiden Women\u2019s British Open title after finishing tied second with Yin Ruoning and Lilia Vu at St Andrews to Lydia Ko in 2024. It\u2019s all been a learning curve.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think if you asked me two years ago, I maybe would\u2019ve lied up here and said I\u2019m fine with it [all],\u201d Korda said candidly. \u201cBut I think that I\u2019m at a stage in my career where I\u2019m just going to be myself. If people don\u2019t like it, that\u2019s fine. If that inspires the next generation, that\u2019s great; that\u2019s what I would like.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had to learn that I\u2019m going to go the direction I want and be very authentic. I feel like when I\u2019m not, it drains my battery a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n
Korda at least has a family of athletes to lean on. Her father, Petr Korda, was ranked world No.2 in tennis and the Czech star won the 1998 Australian Open. Her mother, Regina Rajchrtov\u00e1, played tennis and competed at the 1988 Olympics. Sister Jess Korda, who chose golf, won six LPGA Tour titles including the Women\u2019s Australian Open, while brother Sebastian Korda pursued tennis and has four ATP wins.<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/7e3b1f53ddd79d248332fda5be0d630a27c3ddb1.jpeg\")
A young Korda with father Petr, a former tennis major winner, and brother Sebastian at the US Open.Instagram<\/p>\n
\u201cMy family, I think they always make sure that my batteries are always recharged,\u201d Korda said.<\/p>\n
New Zealand star Ko, a former world No.1 and the most recent LPGA Hall of Fame inductee, has been blown away by Korda\u2019s past three seasons.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s had an incredible year, and to kind of have that twice in the span of three years, is really unbelievable,\u201d Ko said on Wednesday. \u201cShe\u2019s proven herself to everyone [that] she\u2019s one of the best players in the United States and one of the best female athletes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Korda\u2019s sustained success hasn\u2019t just benefited herself. Interest has never been higher in women\u2019s golf. KPMG, the title sponsor of the Women\u2019s PGA Championship, has bumped its prize purse up to a record $US13 million ($18.7m), while this week\u2019s presenting partner, AIG, has also moved the Women\u2019s British Open purse up to $US10 million.<\/p>\n
Only 11 years ago, the Masters, the biggest tournament in men\u2019s golf, had its prize pool increased to $US10 million.<\/p>\n
\u201cListen, what Nelly is doing for the game of golf is unbelievable and so good to watch, and she\u2019s a nice girl as well,\u201d Hull said at Royal Lytham.<\/p>\n
Hull is regarded as the biggest women\u2019s star behind Korda, for her aggressive, exciting brand of golf and her dry, British sense of humour.<\/p>\n
Related Article Fans are yearning for Hull, who has three LPGA wins, to challenge Korda on a more regular basis and Hull, 30, did so at the recent US Women\u2019s Open where she took it to Korda and finished tied second.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t really see it as a rivalry at the minute because \u2013 no offence \u2013 Nelly has got [four] majors and I\u2019ve got none. I\u2019ve got five second-places,\u201d Hull said bluntly.<\/p>\n \u201cSo let me get my major in first and then that\u2019s something we can think about in the future. I just want to get over the line and win my first major. Five second-place finishes in majors kind of hurts.<\/p>\n \u201cI remember looking at the faces walking in on the first day from last year and I was like, \u2018Oh, I wish that was me.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n At Royal Lytham, perhaps it could become an official rivalry if local favourite Hull was to win, and better yet while fending off Korda. Perhaps both would be then on equal footing. But for now, Korda is the golfer every fan wants a glimpse of.<\/p>\n News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport are sent every Monday. Sign up for our Sport newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n Save<\/p>\n You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n![\"Minjee](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1785410713_591_6d97627bd7d4e6afea9364679e4051c6a428fc43.jpeg\")
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have that rivalry take women\u2019s golf to new heights.<\/p>\n