World No. 1 Nelly Korda attended a press conference Tuesday at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship with therapeutic tape on her neck.
Korda explained that she suffered a spasm the day before during practice at PGA Frisco, the site of this week’s major championship.
“I hit a shot out of the rough yesterday (Monday), and my neck went into a full spasm,” Korda said. “It’s getting better, but yeah, it was not very good yesterday.”
But Korda — the betting favorite to win this week despite a winless start to her season — said she expects to be ready for her first-round tee time Thursday.
The injury nonetheless comes at a tough time for Korda, whose last win on the LPGA Tour came in November. She tied for second at the U.S. Women’s Open earlier this month.
Korda cited a neck injury for missing a pair of tournaments on the Asia swing late in the 2024 season. She also sat out a chunk of the 2022 season due to a blood clot in her arm.
“Obviously with the injury that I had last year, every single time something kind of flares up in my neck now, I think I feel it a little bit more than what I used to,” she said.
“But I have a great physio who takes care of me. Trying to work through it, but I’ll be ready by Thursday.”
Korda said the heat in Texas this week will be a potential complicating factor as she tries to gameplan how to “be smart” and take care of her body while going out and competing.
Korda won the first of her two major titles at the 2021 Women’s PGA in Atlanta. That earned her a lifetime invite to the champions’ dinner, but she had to pass on the tradition Monday evening while getting treatment for her neck.
“I didn’t go because of my neck. I was so sad to miss it, though,” Korda said. “I messaged (defending champion Amy Yang of South Korea); the menu looked unbelievable. I love Korean food. So I was really jealous.
“At the end of the day, I need to prioritize my body. So I wasn’t able to go, but I missed out on a good dinner.”
–Field Level Media
