{"id":15951,"date":"2023-03-20T10:44:43","date_gmt":"2023-03-20T10:44:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/first-equality-then-respect-nelly-korda-believes-new-mixed-team-event-is-perfect-next-step-to-grow-womens-golf\/"},"modified":"2023-03-20T10:44:43","modified_gmt":"2023-03-20T10:44:43","slug":"first-equality-then-respect-nelly-korda-believes-new-mixed-team-event-is-perfect-next-step-to-grow-womens-golf","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/?p=15951","title":{"rendered":"First equality, then respect: Nelly Korda believes new-mixed team event is ‘perfect’ next step to grow women’s golf"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n When Nelly Korda faced off against two of the PGA Tour\u2019s finest in December, she received rave reviews.\n <\/p>\n
\n \u201cIt\u2019s a testament to these other ladies that anyone can even sniff beating her because that was wildly impressive,\u201d Max Homa marveled to reporters after he and Kevin Kisner faced Korda and Denny McCarthy at the QBE Shootout, a team-based unofficial money event on the PGA Tour.\n <\/p>\n
\n Kisner, a four-time winner on the PGA Tour, was equally in awe of the women\u2019s world No. 2.\n <\/p>\n
\n \u201cI think I called her the Tiger Woods of the LPGA Tour at one point,\u201d Kisner added. \u201cI asked her out there if she wins every tournament. She said \u2018No.\u2019 I\u2019m like, \u2018I don\u2019t believe you.\u2019\u201d\n <\/p>\n
\n When asked in January about the praise, Korda had one takeaway.\n <\/p>\n
\n \u201cThat they should watch more women\u2019s golf,\u201d Korda, laughing, told reporters.\n <\/p>\n
\n \u201cThey were very kind with their words towards me, but I think if they came out here and watched all the girls compete they would be equally impressed.\u201d\n <\/p>\n
\n In December, the QBE Shootout will be replaced by The Grant Thornton Invitational, held at the same Tibur\u00f3n Golf Club in Naples. It will see 32 players \u2013 16 from the LPGA Tour and 16 from the PGA Tour \u2013 compete in a mixed-team event for a $4 million prize purse.\n <\/p>\n
\n Not since 1999, when Laura Davies and John Daly paired to clinch the last JCPenney Classic, have the two tours co-hosted an annual mixed-team competition. Korda could not be more excited.\n <\/p>\n
\n \u201cIt\u2019s something so different and so unique, I\u2019m so grateful to be a part of it,\u201d Korda told CNN at the HSBC Women\u2019s World Championship.\n <\/p>\n
Nelly Korda’s first major title is a family affair<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\n Part of Korda\u2019s enthusiasm stems from her belief that the event is the next step in the growth of the women\u2019s game \u2013 though the 24-year-old insists it is a marathon, not a sprint.\n <\/p>\n
\n \u201cGrowing step by step, little by little, and learning from mistakes, I think the end result will make our foundation way stronger than immediately growing super-fast,\u201d Korda said.\n <\/p>\n
\n \u201cFrom where we were 10 years ago to what we are now, it\u2019s amazing to see how much we have grown and the respect that we are getting.\n <\/p>\n
\n \u201cYou can have equality and you may still not have the respect from people. And I think once you gain the respect, everything kind of meshes into one and it becomes way greater than the equality.\u201d\n <\/p>\n
\n Both Korda and her sister Jessica, the world No. 25, are set to team up with big names in the men\u2019s game, pairing with Tony Finau and Rickie Fowler respectively. With five PGA Tour wins apiece, they are regarded as two of the most talented golfers yet to win a major.\n <\/p>\n
\n In Finau, Korda will play alongside one of the leading lights of Netflix\u2019s \u201cFull Swing,\u201d a fly-on-the-wall show documenting the 2022 PGA Tour season. Episode six sees the American charm as a golfer working hard to balance his career with family commitments.\n <\/p>\n
\n \u201cHe\u2019s such a nice guy, he\u2019s so sweet,\u201d Korda said.\n <\/p>\n
\n \u201cI\u2019m sure everyone knows that now with the Netflix documentary that\u2019s come out about the PGA Tour and I\u2019ve heard that his episode\u2019s a really big hit.\n <\/p>\n
\n \u201cI\u2019m just excited to get to know him more and I think overall he\u2019s such a solid player. I\u2019m really excited to compete alongside him.\u201d\n <\/p>\n
\n But one team event is guaranteed to trump all others for Korda this season. In September, all eyes will be on Finca Cortesin Golf Club in Andaluc\u00eda, Spain, for the Solheim Cup.\n <\/p>\n
\n Pressure will be on the US Team to prevent a European three-peat, following defeat at Gleneagles, Scotland in 2019 and a home loss at Inverness Club, Ohio in 2021.\n <\/p>\n
\n On the losing side on both occasions, Korda is out to taste Solheim Cup victory for the first time. With herself, her sister, Lexi Thompson, Danielle Kang, Lilia Vu and Jennifer Kupcho all enjoying strong seasons, US Team captain Stacy Lewis is spoilt for choice to pick her 12-player roster.\n <\/p>\n
\n \u201cAt the end of the day golf is so individual that it\u2019s nice to have teammates and not just play for yourself, but play for them, play for your captain, play for your country,\u201d she said.\n <\/p>\n
\n \u201cIt just brings in a new level of respect and it\u2019s so much fun. Every single time I have the opportunity to do that, I\u2019m full of pride.\u201d\n <\/p>\n
\n Ranked second in women\u2019s golf, behind New Zealand\u2019s Lydia Ko, Korda enjoyed a run of electric performances either side of the new year. Three consecutive top-six finishes to start 2023 continued a rousing end to 2022, which Korda closed with three top-10\u2019s \u2013 including victory at the Pelican Women\u2019s Championship in November.\n <\/p>\n
\n After announcing in March 2022 that she would not be competing at the Chevron Championship due to a blood clot in her arm, she returned to action at the US Women\u2019s Open in May, just her fourth start of the season.\n <\/p>\n
\n The defense of her title at the Pelican Women\u2019s Championship \u2013 her first LPGA Tour victory of the season and the eighth of her career \u2013 marked a cathartic moment for Korda, who was overcome with emotion after her win.\n <\/p>\n
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