Nelly Korda Targets Third Major at Record-Purse PGA

Nelly Korda arrives at the Women's PGA Championship at Hazeltine National Golf Club seeking her third consecutive major title of the season. The tournament features a record $13 million purse, the largest in women's golf history, underscoring the surge in private investment and market-driven growth in the sport.

Can Nelly Korda secure a third consecutive major title?

Korda has dominated the LPGA Tour this season, winning four of nine events and accumulating over $5.3 million in prize money. A victory in Minnesota would make her only the third woman to win the first three majors of a season, joining Inbee Park in 2013 and Babe Zaharias in 1950. Korda secured the Chevron Championship in April and edged out Charley Hull and Gaby Lopez by one stroke at the U.S. Women's Open this month. She also leads the Vare Trophy race for the lowest scoring average by a margin of 1.15 strokes over Hyo Joo Kim.

How is market investment elevating the women's game?

The financial landscape of women's golf has shifted dramatically, driven by corporate partnership and audience demand rather than artificial intervention. The $13 million purse at Hazeltine represents the pinnacle of this private sector commitment. Korda attributes this progress to organic market forces.

It is amazing to see the investment in women's sports, and we are just really grateful for our partners continuously raising the bar.

LPGA Tour Commissioner Craig Kessler praised Korda's willingness to build her personal brand and elevate the sport's cultural footprint. Korda recently completed a media tour in New York, visiting the New York Stock Exchange and Times Square. She applies a finance-world work ethic to her athletic career, noting that repeated exposure to high-pressure situations breeds comfort and success.

What did Nelly Korda say about her demanding schedule?

The relentless pace of elite competition and brand building carries a physical cost. After the U.S. Women's Open, Korda honored her commitment to play the Dow Championship in Michigan with partner Olivia Cowan before embarking on her New York media tour.

I was very tired. Honestly, I couldn't go to sleep, and every single morning I woke up I didn't want to wake up.

Still, she embraces the demands of stardom, choosing authenticity as her guiding principle.

I'm just going to be authentic and be who I am. Either that comes across great or it doesn't, but I just want to be genuine.

What are Hannah Green's memories of Hazeltine?

Hannah Green, currently ranked eighth globally, returns to the suburban prairie course where she claimed her only major title in 2019 with a wire-to-wire victory at age 22. Green reflected on the evolution of her game since that breakthrough.

I do hit a lot further than I used to do back then.

She acknowledged the mix of good and bad memories that resurface during practice rounds, but remains focused on the physical advancements she has made.