Nelly Korda has relied on a number of mantras as she has ascended to the top of the sport. In 2018, Korda, still looking for her first LPGA win, was frustrated and practicing at The Concession when World Golf Hall of Famer Hollis Stacy gave her a bit of advice: “When the time is right,” Stacy told Korda. Korda wrote that phrase in her yardage book and won the following week at the 2018 Swinging Skirts. During her historic 2024 run, Korda wrote four phrases from her coach Jamie Mulligan in her yardage book and looked at them between every shot: Don’t overthink. Don’t overstress. Stay in the moment. Let it flow.
Before winning the 2026 U.S. Women’s Open at Riviera this year, Korda wrote herself motivational messages and put them on sticky notes on her bathroom mirror. Before Sunday’s final round, Korda’s message was simple: Whatever happens happens. Just give it 100 percent.
Mantras have helped Nelly Korda climb the ladder, allowing her to focus on the here and now — the next shot — instead of letting her mind wander to the bigger picture: the dreams she’s achieving and the grand goals on the horizon.
All those mantras have put Korda on the doorstep of history at this week’s Annika at the Pelican. After taking eight weeks off from competitive golf post-Solheim Cup, Korda returned to the arena one step closer to another career achievement: the LPGA Hall of Fame. Korda clinched the LPGA Player of the Year Award while she was resting and recharging. That award comes with one Hall of Fame point, putting the four-time major winner at 26 points. A win this week or next at the CME Group Tour Championship or anytime in the future will make Korda the 36th member of the LPGA Hall of Fame.
Korda opened with a bogey-free 7-under 63 on Thursday to jump into early contention at the Annika and inch closer to history. But Korda’s focus isn’t on the history that’s approaching; whether it arrives this week or in the future is of no concern to the World No. 1. She’s in this position because she’s always stayed present, letting her love of competition and desire to win drive her forward. The rest takes care of itself.
“Is the Hall of Fame something I’m really looking at? Not at all. I mean, I’m just focusing on being competitive and trying to give it my all,” Korda said on Thursday. “The accolades are great. I’m honored to even be in that position. Honored to be the Player of the Year. What drives me is the competitive tournament that I’m in currently. Like I want to do the best that I possibly can where I currently am. After that, everything else is out of my control.”
If mantras have helped Nelly Korda reach history’s gates, another one that she shared early this year might be what unlocks them.
At the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, Korda, who was gunning for her third consecutive major, was asked about the pressure of trying to reach the Hall of Fame. The kind of pressure that Lydia Ko felt before she finally summited that mountain during a magical summer in 2024. But while Ko has been open about her quest for the Hall of Fame and how she had to deal with the challenge of finding another mountain to climb after she made it, Korda was adamant she felt none of it because that’s never her focus. She has grand dreams — one of which she achieved at Riviera — but believes you can only reach them by focusing your attention on the controllables. That success comes by being consistent, dedicated and willing to put in the work, not by chasing something big in the distance. Doing A will bring you closer to B, but you can’t get to the final destination if you’re only thinking about the end result. Korda admitted the LPGA Hall of Fame was “hard” to get into but wanted to stay oblivious to how close or far away she was from a monumental achievement.
“But [is it] a motivating factor to me and I’m like thinking about it? Not necessarily,” Korda said at Hazeltine. “I just enjoy playing golf and I enjoy being in the hunt in tournaments. I always say good golf kind of solves everything, and that’s my main focus — just trying to play consistent good golf.”
One point stands between Korda and history. It could come this week or next. But it will arrive. She’s 28 and the undisputed best player in the world. A winless 2025 helped her reorient things and find the keys to playing “Nelly Golf.” That focus on positivity and freedom helped Korda win four times this year, including capturing her white whale at the U.S. Women’s Open. More wins will come and with them a place in the LPGA’s pantheon.
All that’s left for Nelly Korda to do is play good golf and take her place in history … when the time is right.
