Nelly Korda has been the premier athlete of 2024. No one else has had her level of success, and the year is only half over.
Through the first few months of the golf season, she has put up eye-popping numbers and performances. It's difficult to pick anything to stand out from her unbelievable season, but a few numbers come to mind after her latest victory.
Korda won again at the Mizuho Americas Open, earning a one-stroke victory over Hannah Green. It marked her sixth win this season, which is an impressive number. It's even more impressive considering that she's only made eight starts. She has won 75% of her outings this year.
In those wins, and the few losses, she has earned an impressive $2.9 million. The money on the LPGA Tour is not as easily flowing as it is on the PGA Tour, but Korda's earnings would make her the 22nd-highest-earning golfer regardless of the tour.
In terms of performance alone, she's landing on the green 76% of the time. That's first among LPGA golfers. She's also first in total rounds shooting in the 60s with 20 such rounds. Korda rarely ever even approaches par in a round.
She averages an impressive 69.2, so she's well under par for every single round on average. That is, unsurprisingly, first among golfers. There is no one competing at her level right now.
Nelly Korda unfortunately did lose a near-historic winning streak. She'd tied the record with five straight wins before hitting a bump in the road at the Cognizant Founders Cup, where she placed T7. She rebounded to win her next start, potentially beginning yet another streak.
As hot as Scottie Scheffler was for a long while, he only won four out of five starts including a Major, so Korda had one up on even him. As for her own tour, she has one up on virtually everyone she competes against.
Nelly Korda reflects on yet another win
It was another successful start last weekend for Nelly Korda. The World No. 1, who is as far ahead of the second-place golfer in points as that golfer is from anyone in the top 500, returned to dominance with a win at the Mizuho Americas Open.
She reflected on her sixth win (via ESPN):
"Oh, my gosh, six. I can't even really gather myself right now with that, the head-to-head that Hannah and I had pretty much all day. Wasn't my best stuff out there today, but fought really hard on the back nine."
She now enters the Women's U.S. Open as the scorching hot favorite. It will be her chance to add another Major trophy to her mantle, and she has not yet won this one.