Nelly Korda is back in action this week at The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican, having just taken one month out.
Korda last played at the LOTTE Championship at Hoakalei Country Club at the start of October, where she finished T4.
But Korda has been struggling with injury this season, which forced her to withdraw from last month’s International Crown team event.
The American has now been able to return at The ANNIKA, an LPGA Tour tournament she has won three times in her career.
Nelly Korda issues injury update after one-month LPGA Tour break
Unsurprisingly, Korda was asked for an injury update ahead of the event, to which she replied: “Yeah, took that time to really focus in on my neck injury and feel good. Happy to be out again.
“Sad to miss the Hanwha Classic. I love competing in Korea. I feel like the fans are so passionate so they’re so fun to play in front of. But happy to be back.”
And when asked if she was in pain during her break or if it was more of a preventive measure, she said: “It was definitely very preventive, too.
“The thing with injuries and how many we travel and train, like you’re never pain-free. If you go to any athlete across all sports and ask them if they’re pain-free, they’re going to tell you that they’re not.
“So last year was probably, I’m not going to lie, one of my worst injuries ever. I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to play the rest of the year. I thought I was out for the season.
“And if I’m starting to feel that pain a little bit and I know that could possibly recur, I have to prioritize my body and say that, okay, I need to step back, take some time off, and make sure I don’t go down that path.”
How Nelly Korda feels about going one year without an LPGA Tour win
Korda’s victory at The ANNIKA last year does indeed represent her most recent LPGA Tour win, having gone without a title so far this season.
Injuries have undoubtedly played their part, as they did last season, although that didn’t stop her from claiming a stunning seven titles.
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Asked if the trophy drought has been creeping into her mind, she replied: “No. I mean, I’m going… I can control what I can control. I can’t control what other competitors are doing.
“The only thing I can control is how much effort I put into each and every day, how I try and execute my shots. At the end of the day that’s all I can do.
“Obviously I’m very, very competitive and what I want to do on Sunday is hoist the trophy. Everyone in this field wants to do it.
“It’s definitely been a weird year, but I can’t compare this year to last year because every year… if you go back and not just talk about last year or talk about my years before that, like I’ve had years where I haven’t won and I played great golf; then the next year I won a few.
“So it’s just sports. It’s golf. You can’t expect to win. You can expect to put in 100%: 100% into your body, 100% in your routine, 100% into your practice, have no distractions. That’s what I can control and that is what I will control. But everything else is kind of out of my control.”
It was a rational response from Korda as ever, with the 27-year-old still impressing with eight top 10 finishes in 2025.
She has lost her world number one ranking to Jeeno Thitikul, but a return to top spot in the near future is very much on the cards for the two-time major winner.
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