Sisters Nelly and Jessica Korda are not alone in the country’s rich history of sporting siblings. There’s the Williams sisters in tennis, as well as the Bryan brothers. In basketball, there’s the Millers – Cheryl and Reggie and the Joyners Al and Jackie.
But what sets them apart is not the familial bond they have but instead it’s how they have used it to carve out a path completely different from what most of us have expected.
Nelly started playing golf perhaps as a matter of convenience since her older sister Jessica had fully committed to the sport. She would accompany her parents as they watched their eldest daughter practice for hours. Their parents are also famous tennis players – Grand Slam winner and world’s #2 Petr Korda and the world’s #26 Regina Korda (neé Rajchrtova).
Today, Jessica (29) and Nelly (23) are both successful in their careers. They have similar height and hair color, and are often mistaken for one another. They boast 13 LPGA wins, Jessica with 6 and Nelly with 7.
Playing on a professional tour may be a lonely endeavor for most players but for the Korda sisters, this isn’t the case. They are each other’s built-in best buddy. Although both are winners in the LPGA tour and often compete against each other, they are best friends and each other’s biggest supporter.
Jessica, 28, has won six times on the LPGA Tour. Nelly has enjoyed a breakthrough in 2021, with four wins on the LPGA Tour this season — bringing her total to 7. Her crowning moment came at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics where she reached #1 in the golf rankings.
Standing on the podium with her family watching on and listening to the US National anthem being played as she received her gold medal award, Nelly describes feeling a “flood of emotions.”
Nelly Korda Receiving Anti-Clotting Treatment
Nelly Korda revealed that she is receiving treatment for blood clotting in her arm. She stated on her social media account that she first noticed some swelling in her arm after her morning workout. After going to the Emergency Room, she was diagnosed with a blood clot.
The world number 2’s last course outing was at the LPGA Drive On Championship in February after her 6-week break. She is scheduled to compete on March 24-27 in the JTBC Classic in Carlsbad, California but it’s not yet verified if she will return to play at this time.
Nelly is making history being the only American to hold the top spot for 29 weeks in the Rolex Rankings. She has surpassed Stacy Lewis, who held it for 21 weeks 8 years ago. Nelly bagged one major win at the KPGM Women’s PGA Championship in 2021 which led to her rise as world No.1.
Jessica, on the other hand, won her 6th LPGA Tour at the Four Seasons Golf and Sports Club Orlando last year, her first in nearly 3 years. She smashed the tournament record with a 4-day total of 24-under 260, beating the previous mark of Eun Hee Ji’s 14-under 270 in 2019.
If you have kids we hope the story of these 2 sisters will inspire you to help them develop their own talents. Take your kids out golfing in a country club near you. Many of these clubs such as Caves Valley Golf Club and Pine Valley Golf Club have wonderful amenities that the whole family can really enjoy.