Nelly Korda makes her feelings known with emoji after close runner-up finish at LPGA opener

Nelly Korda took to Instagram to share her feelings with emojis after finishing as a runner at the 2025 LPGA opener at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions. She lost by two strokes to South Korea's A Lim Kim at the Lake Nona Golf & Country Club.

In one Instagram Story, Korda posted an image from the tournament with a "Weary Face" emoji, expressing her frustration. In another, she used the "Face with Monocle" emoji, indicating introspection about her performance.

Screenshots of Nelly Korda's Instagram Story (Credit: @nellykorda/Instagram)

Korda was four shots behind A Lim Kim after three rounds. She carded a splendid 7-under 65 in the final round, however, that wasn't enough. In the post-tournament press conference, she was asked about her performance in the 2025 LPGA Opener. She said, via ASAP Sports:

"Yeah, not bad. I'm never going to complain finishing second in a tournament and giving it a run especially on a Sunday. There are definitely a couple putts I would like to have back, but overall I think I'm very happy with this week and excited for next week."

When asked what aspect of her game she took from the week, Korda said:

"Yeah, you have to constantly work on every part of your game. You can never get lazy. I always say I'm a very good chipper and last year I struggled with my chipping, my confidence and I really grinded that with my coach David Whelan for my short game, and I saw a huge difference this week."

Nelly Korda won a prize money of $227,854 from the tournament's prize purse of $2 million. She had tied for 16th last year at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions.

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How did Nelly Korda perform in 2024?

Nelly Korda had a terrific 2024 season on the LPGA Tour. She competed in 17 tournaments and made the cut in 14 of them. She had seven wins, 10 top-5 and 11 top-10 finishes.

Korda had four consecutive wins on the Tour starting from LPGA Drive On Championship to the Chevron Championship. She had a little hiccup when she missed three consecutive cuts but rebounded with four top-5 finishes in her next five starts.

Let's take a look at Nelly Korda's performances in the 2024 season:

2024 LPGA Tournaments

• Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions: T16
• LPGA Drive On Championship: 1
• FIR HILLS SERI PAK Championship: 1
• Ford Championship pres. by KCC: 1
• T-Mobile Match Play pres. by MGM Rewards: 1
• The Chevron Championship: 1
• Cognizant Founders Cup: T7
• Mizuho Americas Open: 1
• U.S. Women's Open pres. by Ally: Missed Cut
• Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give: Missed Cut
• KPMG Women's PGA Championship: Missed Cut
• The Amundi Evian Championship: T26
• AIG Women's Open: T2
• Kroger Queen City Championship pres. by P&G: T5
• The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican: 1
• CME Group Tour Championship: T5

2024 OLY Golf (W) Tournaments

• Olympic Women's Golf Competition: T22