Nelly Korda – ‘Not thought’ about LPGA consecutive wins record

CLIFTON, N.J. — History could be beckoning this weekend for Nelly Korda, but the world’s current No.1 women’s golfer said Wednesday that her busy off-course life has kept those thoughts from entering her mind.

“If I’m being honest,” Korda said, “I have not thought about it at all.”

With a win at the Cognizant Founders Cup, Korda would claim her sixth straight tournament victory, setting an LPGA benchmark for consecutive wins.

Korda, however, has had plenty to keep her busy to help keep her mind off the record.

After catching up on rest after winning the Chevron, Korda hosted her first junior amateur event — an all-girls tournament last week in her hometown of Bradenton, Florida. On Monday, she was in New York City, walking the carpet at the Met Gala.

“I haven’t had too much time to think about it,” Korda said of the record amid her busy schedule.

She said her mind has otherwise been focused on ramping up her training and the course at Upper Montclair Country Club, which is the site of this weekend’s Cognizant Founders Cup and also where she failed to make the cut last May.

“This golf course is tough,” Korda said. “It’s very, very narrow off the tee, the rough is very penalizing. And it’s wet this year, so it’s even worse.

“So just not getting too ahead of myself and taking it a shot at a time. As boring as it sounds or as many times as you guys are going to hear me say it, that is the motto and I’m going to stick to it.”

In addition to missing the cut at last year’s Cognizant Founders Cup, Korda also didn’t make it to the weekend at the following event — the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, which was also in New Jersey.

“My track record hasn’t been the greatest in New Jersey,” Korda said. “So I’m really just trying to keep it one shot at a time, and see how it goes.”

Her winning streak began in late January with a win at the LPGA Drive On Championship in Bradenton, Florida. After a seven-week layoff, she returned to action in mid-March, then rattled off three more wins before taking a break the week before the Chevron Championship.

Korda admitted the stretch has been mentally taxing, particularly as she has gotten closer to the record. It’s why she skipped the JM Eagle LA Championship in Los Angeles after her last win.

“I just felt like mentally, I just needed the rest,” Korda said. “I was just so mentally tired going through all those situations and high-pressure moments.”