It is now official. Nelly Korda has been named the Rolex Player of the Year 2024, the award that recognises her as the best golfer of the season on the North American circuit. Although there are still four tournaments ahead, Nelly already has the trophy secured as the LPGA Tour player who has accumulated the most points throughout the season. Only Ayake Furue winning the last five tournaments of the year could have taken it from her. Her tenth place in Japan has made the maths easier.
At 26 years old, and although it may be surprising, Nelly wins this accolade for the first time in her career. She succeeds fellow American, Lilia Vu, who claimed the award last season. Since Betsy King in 1993 and Beth Daniel in 1994, two Americans had not won this award consecutively.
Korda has had a historic season, with a total of six victories and three other top ten finishes. The Florida player began her eighth season on the LPGA with a 16th place at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions, but quickly started winning one tournament after another consecutively: the LPGA Drive On Championship, the Seri Park Championship, the Ford Championship presented by KCC, the T-Mobile Match Play, and the Chevron Championship, the second major of her career.
Her sixth victory of the year came a few weeks later, at the Mizuho Americas Open. Although she hasn’t won again since then, in the last Major of the season, the AIG Women’s Open, she was flirting with victory until the very last moment.
This year, Korda also represented the United States at the Paris 2024 Olympics, and participated in the Solheim Cup in September, where she contributed to the victory by earning three points for the US team at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club.
The two-time Major champion will seek to add another victory to her already historic season in the final stretch of the year. What is certain is that no one will be able to take away the award for the best player of the season from her.
