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We had quite the start to the 2026 LPGA Tour season at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions. The event was reduced to 54 holes due to uncharacteristically low temperatures in the Orlando area, leaving the course in less-than-ideal playing conditions, according to the LPGA’s statement.
After play was suspended on Saturday, Jan. 31 due to high winds across the last few holes, players finished the third round of competition on Sunday, Feb. 1. Temperatures and conditions were not expected to improve by Monday, Feb. 2, so the Tour made the decision to cut the event short.
Because of this, and because of her incredible third round of golf, Nelly Korda took home her first title of the 2026 season and first since the 2024 ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican. The win ended her one year, two month and 15 day drought, a drought of identical length to the one she was in around two years ago; she won the 2022 ANNIKA and didn’t win again until the 2024 LPGA Drive On Championship in Bradenton, Fla., her home town.
If you recall, Korda went on to win seven times in 2024, including five times in five straight starts. Is this a good omen for 2026? Surely.
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But let’s go through Korda’s week at the HGV. In the first round, she came out of the gate with a 4-under 68. Her front nine was as clean as they come, but she faced some bogey struggles on the back. Korda shot a 3-under 33 on the front nine that consisted of three birdies and six pars. Then, on the back nine, after three birdies in four holes, she carded back-to-back bogeys on holes No. 16 and 17. Korda made par on the 18th hole to end a round that ultimately put her two shots back of the lead after the first day.
Korda shot a 1-under 71 in the second round, and she watched as Lydia Ko and Lottie Woad traded blows at the top of the leaderboard. Ko and Woad shot 67 and 69 respectively to tie at 8-under at the top. Ko’s 67 was bogey-free, and so was her 69 in the first round. The Lake Nona member was on a heater.
But in Saturday’s round, Korda showed everyone what it means to play golf on moving day.
Korda shot a blazing 64 (-8) that included an eagle, seven birdies and one bogey. She started off the day with back-to-back birdies on holes No. 1 and 2, and then hit a stunner of a 50-degree wedge on No. 3 that spun right back into the hole for an eagle 2. Korda closed out the front nine with two more birdies on holes No. 8 and 9 for a 6-under 30.
On the back nine, Korda cruised to a 2-under 34 with birdies on Nos. 12, 14 and 15. She dropped a shot with a bogey on No. 17 but saved a crucial par on No. 18 to go into the clubhouse with the lead at 13-under-par.
“[Holes] 15, 16, 17, 18, they’re brutal once you get a little bit exposed. Mentally I was already preparing for that. I knew it was going to be tough on those holes, especially the wind kind of coming from the north,” Korda said in her post-round press conference on Jan. 31.
“But, yeah, just very proud of myself. And more the mental side for being really committed to my lines. It is really easy, especially on a golf course like this with so many run-offs, to start doubting yourself.”
That first round had potential to be as lights out as her moving day round. That just shows how strong, mentally and physically, Korda is this season. Even a round that got shaky down the stretch turned out to be a 68. Those moments matter a lot when you’re battling the elements and coming off of the winter break. They matter a lot more when you’re battling to get your first win in over a year.
Hopefully the victory at the 2026 Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions is the return of the Nelly Korda we’re all used to watching. See you next week, golf fans.
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This week in women’s golf
LPGA News
National Girls & Women in Sports Day: Celebrating the past, present and future
Amy Yang finishes runner-up to Nelly Korda at Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions
Nelly Korda collects 16th career title at Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions
Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions reduced to 54 holes
Major championships promise to thrill in 2026
WTGL News
TMRW Sports announces Arthur M. Blank as first WTGL team owner
LET News
Growth in spectator attendances and increased TV productions on the LET
The R&A Sustainable Agronomy Service named official agronomist of the LET
LET announces record prize money of over €40 million for 2026 season
Steph Kyriacou locked in for Aussie women’s majors
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Liti used experience to secure 2026 LET card at Q-School
Global stars set sights on record parity as the PIF Saudi Ladies International returns
Crunching the numbers ahead of the 2026 LET season
Five at The IX: Snippets from Nelly Korda’s post-win press conference on Feb. 1 at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions
THE MODERATOR: All right, very pleased to be joined by the winner of the 2026 Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions, Nelly Korda. Nelly, a little bit of an unorthodox win, but a win nonetheless. Take us through the week.
NELLY KORDA: Yeah, I mean, Thursday, Friday were great. The weather was maybe getting a little bit windier on Friday but conditions were super nice.
We knew ten days before this or a week before this that Saturday and Sunday were going to be really tough, especially with the wind projection for Saturday afternoon and then the cold temps that it was bringing for Sunday.
So it was just kind of mentally prepare for it. Yesterday was probably one of my best rounds I’ve ever played in my career. Just really proud of everything that Jay and I went through to get to that point of the process, the mental clarity of my shots, and commitment to each one of them.
So overall, just really happy.
Q. Take us through the process of when you got to the course and getting ready to hopefully go out there and competing today and finding out the news.
NELLY KORDA: Yeah, I was fully mentally preparing for going out and playing 18, battling for the win.
You know, it was definitely getting a little bit antsy just sitting in dining kind of waiting to see what was going to happen throughout the day.
I knew once the girls were going to go out and finish the third round I just wanted to get out and just start my routine no matter what happened.
So went to the gym, warmed up, and then went to the putting green, did my routine there, and then walked to the range. Was still very routine-oriented. I tried to get into the mindset, because a couple years ago I was three back with two to play, so I was trying to give myself the mindset like anything can happen; just go out and still stick to your own process.
Q. An unusual way of going about it, but just to get the year off with a win, especially after coming close but not being able to last year.
NELLY KORDA: Yeah, golf is a game of centimeters. You know, there were so many times last year where I wished I had an inch here or a centimeter there where it would’ve changed the story completely.
That’s how it goes sometimes. As long as you are mentally 100% in it and preparing to your best ability, that’s all you can control at the end of the day; same with weather.
So I was so close. I played really well last year. Obviously didn’t get the win, but I played some amazing golf the first three days this week and I’m really proud of myself, my team, and all the work that we have put in when no one was watching and everyone was talking about it.
So just very happy to get the first win of the year, and hopefully that leads into a great year, too. No matter what, like I’m always going put 100% into it. With results, when it comes to sports, you just never know. The only thing you can control is the level and the input that you put into your craft and your sport. I will always be doing that.
No matter the results, I know that mentally I’m doing that every single day I step on the golf course, and that’s what I’m proud of.
Q. You said you played one of your best rounds ever yesterday. What does that do for your mental fortitude knowing you can overcome the tough conditions and still perform?
NELLY KORDA: In 2024 I played in some brutal conditions. I’ve played in AIG British Women’s Open where the conditions are brutal. You really have to lock in. The more you play in those conditions the more you learn to really have the word patience just constantly going through your mind.
You’re going to hit some bad shots that will end up really poorly. It’s all about—in those circumstances it’s all about finding your ball, hitting it again, finding it, hitting it again, and kind of then diverting to the mindset of, okay, let’s see what we can do here. What do we have at hand.
At the end of the day those situations make me very present and I have to really dial in to, one, my target and, two, just commitment to the shot. Like everything is just about being 100% committed. I’ve had shots where it’s perfectly sunny out, 80 degrees and I’m in between two clubs, and I’m not committed to one and I kind of fly it out to the right because I’m not committed to it.
That had to go out the window in those conditions. Even if it’s the wrong decision, you have to be 100% committed to it.
Q. Did you feel a sense of pressure being lifted off just getting last year behind you, no longer having the title defenses, and having a fresh year here?
NELLY KORDA: In a sense maybe, yeah. You know, I’m always so excited to come out and tee it up against the best players in the world. The day I don’t feel that is going to be a very bad day for me.
Still, even last year, you know, title defense, obviously you have a little bit of added pressure to yourself, but there is something so fun and exhilarating about those moments. I’ve said it a couple times: There is nothing better than going down the back nine when you’re in contention and feeling the rush of emotions.
But in a sense, yeah, it does feel nice for it to be a fresh year. You can say that it’s a fresh month, too. Last year I could have been like, okay, it’s October 1st; whatever I did this year is behind me.
But it’s all just honestly just mindset.
