Nelly Korda 'Rushed' Rehab From Neck Injury to Play LPGA's Final Events of Season

After a neck injury sidelined the world No. 1, she's trying to finish the season strong with the Race to the CME Globe title.

Nelly Korda is back for the final two events of the LPGA season. / Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

Even though Nelly Korda is having a historic season, she knew there were going to be both highs and lows.

“Gosh, January and like the win in Bradenton ... feels like I lived nine lives since then,” Korda said Wednesday at the Annika. “So much has gone on since that win.”

In the last 10 months, the world No. 1 claimed five straight events—joining Nancy Lopez (1978) and Annika Sörenstam (2005) as the only LPGA players to do so—including a major at the Chevron Championship. Korda also wrapped up LPGA Player of the Year—before the season even ended.

But a bump in the road came near the closing stretch of the season. In October, the 26-year-old hurt her neck in practice and was forced to withdraw from the LPGA's Asia swing. However, shortly before that, Korda said she was struggling with migraines during the Solheim Cup and the week after at the Kroger Queen City Championship.

“The only way it was not hurting was sleeping in a dark room,” Korda said. “I think it just led to my injury.”

Now, though, the time away has her ready to finish the season strong.

“Thankfully, no more pain,” she said.

Korda hopes to finish the season by winning her first Race to the CME Globe, the LPGA's seasonlong title. The penultimate event of the year, the Annika, is at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Fla., close to where Korda grew up.

And this event has been circled on her calendar.

“I haven't really been playing too much golf,” she said. “I think I've been playing for the past week and a half. I really, really wanted to play this week so in a sense maybe I rushed my rehab to get to these two events because they were important to me playing in front of a bit of a home crowd here and season championship in Naples. Definitely want to be ready for that.”

Her lead in the season-long points race is nearly double second-place Haeran Ryu. But despite the recent setback, Korda, who earlier this month was announced as an SI Swimsuit model, is hoping to end her long year on a high note—even if her injury has tempered her expectations.

“I'm going to try my hardest,” she said. “Going to go out and obviously the No. 1 goal in the back of my head is lifting the trophy on Sunday.

“But I'm just happy to kind of be out here and see how it goes.”