CHASKA, Minn. (AP) 鈥� The latest stop for in this especially busy summer is the Women’s PGA Championship in Minnesota, where the top-ranked player in the world will try this week to hoist a third straight major trophy.
From winning the in California to playing in a pair at the Dow Championship in Michigan to brand-building for the sport in New York, the 27-year-old Korda has had little time for retreat.
If this is the price of stardom, well, she’s willing to lean into it.
鈥淚 feel like in everything that you do in life 鈥� if you鈥檙e in the finance world, if you鈥檙e doing this 鈥� the more you put yourself into that position the more comfortable you get,鈥� Korda said on Wednesday at Hazeltine National Golf Club. 鈥淚 think the biggest change that I told myself I鈥檓 going to make is I鈥檓 just going to be authentic and be who I am. Either that comes across great or it doesn鈥檛, but I just want to be genuine.鈥�
Korda, whose prize money has passed $5.3 million this year, has won four of the nine tournaments she has entered with only one finish outside of the top 10. She leads the Vare Trophy race for the lowest scoring average on the LPGA by an average of 1.15 strokes over Hyo Joo Kim.
The only women to win the first three majors of a season are Inbee Park in 2013 and Babe Zaharias in 1950, when there were only three on the schedule. Now the final two majors are in Europe: the Evian Championship in France from July 9-12 and the Women鈥檚 British Open in England from July 30-Aug. 2.
With the win in April already on her scorecard, Korda pulled out a one-stroke victory over Charley Hull and Gaby Lopez at the U.S. Women’s Open this month. Fulfilling her commitment to playing with partner Olivia Cowan at the Dow Championship the following week required some self-discipline.
鈥淚 was very tired. Honestly, I couldn’t go to sleep, and every single morning I woke up I didn’t want to wake up,鈥� Korda said. 鈥淚’m still a little tired from it.鈥�
Then she was whisked away to New York for a whirlwind media tour on behalf of the LPGA, before heading home last week to recharge and refresh.
鈥淚t鈥檚 fun to be on a different stage in front of different people doing something that helps the game of golf and kind of puts us on a broader stage,鈥� Korda said.
From a cameo on the “Today’ show to a visit to the New York Stock Exchange to an appearance at Times Square, Korda relished last week the opportunity to show the lighthearted and self-described 鈥渄orky鈥� side of her personality to more mainstream audiences.
鈥淭hese are the types of things we need our athletes to do in order to have transcendent stars that cut through sports and find their way into culture,鈥� LPGA Tour Commissioner Craig Kessler said. 鈥淪he did it. She鈥檚 doing it.鈥�
The major that was last held at Hazeltine on the suburban prairie southwest of Minneapolis , has a this year that’s the largest in the history of women’s golf.
鈥淭o see the evolution of where the women鈥檚 game was to what it is now, it is quite incredible,鈥� Korda said. 鈥淵ou see that across every sport. You see that in tennis, right now in basketball, too. It is amazing to see the investment in women鈥檚 sports, and we are just really grateful for our partners continuously raising the bar.鈥�
Hannah Green returns to Hazeltine in reflection on her 2019 win
Hannah Green, who’s currently eighth in the world ranking, got her first tour victory at age 22 with a wire-to-wire win at the Women’s PGA Championship when it last visited Hazeltine. That remains her only major title.
鈥淭here is definitely shots that I remember. I also remember some of the bad shots as well, which is sometimes not a great thing,鈥� Green said. 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 nice to kind of relive those moments in the practice round. I do hit a lot further than I used to do back then.鈥�
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