Nelly Korda has no interest in entertaining critics: ‘I have nothing left to prove’
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With more than 100 weeks as World No. 1, Nelly Korda says her focus is on preparing the best she can for majors and enjoying the game she loves…
Nelly Korda is heading into this week’s AIG Women’s Open with a calm mindset and a clear message – she’s not out to prove anything to anyone.
Speaking to the media ahead of the tournament at Royal Porthcawl, the World No.1 shared her thoughts on where she stands in her career and what continues to drive her.
“I feel like I don’t really have anything more to prove to people ever,” Korda said. “For me it’s just, I’m passionate about the game. I love the game. I love playing in these kind of conditions, testing my game, and getting to play against the best players in the world.”
That doesn’t mean she’s not aiming high. Korda still has goals, but they come from her own love for golf, not from pressure to win everywhere she plays.
“Winning in every country that I play in, that’s definitely not my goal. My goal is to prepare the best that I can, enjoy myself, and hopefully be in contention… and just continue to grow my love for the game.”
Korda also talked about what else matters in golf. It’s not just about rankings, course conditions, or the luck of the tee time draw.
“I think golf is about confidence,” she said. “It doesn’t matter where you’re ranked. If you’re kind of riding high, it doesn’t matter what kind of circumstances, weather is going to throw at you, golf course is going to throw at you… You’ve just got to trust yourself and hit the shots that you need to.”
Korda does have a bit of work to do this week, though, if she wants to keep her No.1 title. If she finishes outside the top 25 at Royal Porthcawl, Thailand’s Jeeno Thitikul will overtake her to claim top spot in the Rolex Rankings.
As of June 2025, Korda has spent over 100 weeks as World No. 1 in total, more than any other American woman in history and one of only six players ever to reach that milestone.
Before she tees off in the 2025 Women’s Open, Korda has a big movie night planned – watching her guest appearance in Happy Gilmore 2.
“We’re going to watch it either today or tomorrow. We wanted to all be together in the house to watch it for the first time. It was so cool getting to meet Adam Sandler, getting to be part of that process, and actually seeing how difficult acting is from that point of view. That scene with Shooter was amazing to see just from my point of view, his acting, and how much it takes.”
Korda’s scenes alongside Nancy Lopez, who was inducted into LPGA Hall of Fame in 1987, and Tim Herlihy, who co-wrote the movie with Sandler, took an entire day to film.
“That scene took all day. It was like a 20-second scene. The appreciation for their lifestyle and their job definitely grew for me. For me, it was just so cool to be a part of, and getting to do it with Nancy is a lot of fun too.”
Korda will get her attempt to win the Women’s Open underway alongside Ariya Jutanugarn and Angel Yin at 1.16pm local time on Thursday.
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Nelly Korda ahead of the 2025 AIG Women's Open
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Nelly Korda playing a practice round ahead of the 2025 AIG Women's Open at Royal Porthcawl
