Nelly Korda is taking a break.
Korda, one day after she picked up her historic fifth straight victory with her win at the Chevron Championship, officially withdrew from this week’s JM Eagle LA Championship. While a win there would have been historic, Korda said she simply needs to rest.
“Wow! What a week,” Korda said in a statement on Monday afternoon. “The win still hasn’t sunk in but I have truly been overwhelmed by all of the love and support I’ve received. The crowds at Carlton Woods this past week were incredible and so too were all the messages I’ve received from those watching from afar.
“I wanted to let you all know that after a lot of consideration with my team, I have decided to withdraw from the JM Eagle LA Championship presented by Plastpro.
“It was not an easy decision. After the unbelievable week at The Chevron and grinding through the mental and physical challenges of four events in the past five weeks, I am definitely feeling exhausted. With so much still to come throughout 2024, I feel I need to listen to my body and get some rest, so I can be ready for the remainder of the season.”
Korda picked up her second major championship win on Sunday afternoon with a two-shot victory at the Chevron Championship outside of Houston. It marked her fifth win in five starts, which is something only two other players in LPGA Tour history have ever accomplished. She earned $1.2 million for her win, too, which nearly doubled her earnings total this season.
Korda’s win also made history when paired with Scottie Scheffler’s win at the Masters earlier this month. This is just the second time in history that the reigning top-ranked player in the world on both the men’s and women’s side won a major championship title in consecutive weeks. Scheffler, who won the RBC Heritage in historic fashion on Monday morning, has won in four of his last five starts on the PGA Tour.
Korda’s first victory during this stretch came at the LPGA Drive On Championship in January. She then won three straight times in as many weeks, and had just one week off before her win on Sunday. She said ahead of the major last week that she was “so tired” and just wanted to sleep constantly following her fourth straight win. The nerves caught up to her a bit on Sunday afternoon, too.
“I don’t know, but I can finally breathe now,” Korda said on NBC when asked how she pulled off her fifth consecutive win on Sunday. “That back nine felt like the longest back nine of my entire life.
“It was a little bit of a grind on the back nine, but I’m happy to get the win … The nerves setting in, it’s a major. It’s everything that I’ve always wanted as a little girl to lift that major trophy. As I said, I can finally breathe now and enjoy the moment because I was definitely really nervous. I feel sick to my stomach.”
It’s unclear when Korda will compete again next. The U.S. Women’s Open is the next major championship on the schedule, but that doesn’t start until May 30. The Cognizant Founders Cup is scheduled for next week in New Jersey, and it will be followed by the Mizuho Americas Open.
