"That's what golf is about": Nelly Korda reveals her 'one objective' amid early season rust

Nelly Korda reflected on her mindset heading into the final round of the LPGA Tour's Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions 2025. After the third round, the American golfer tied for third place at 11-under, just four strokes behind the leader A Lim Kim.

During the press conference, Nelly Korda was asked about her mindset owing to the fact that she was in contention to secure the victory at the season's opening tournament. She said (via ASAP Sports):

"I think when you're competing it's just one objective and that's to win. That's the one thing that you're concentrating on. Doesn't matter how you're swinging, how you're putting. At the end of the day the main goal is to put the ball in the hole. You know, you can be spraying it all over, but people can contend doing that. At the end of the day that's what golf is about," Korda said.

"So, yeah, you are rusty and not -- maybe you may not have your A-game and all the trust in your game if you've been working on some stuff before, but I think when the gun goes off on that first hole, you're just competing and wanting to get the ball in the hole," she added.

The 2025 Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions kicked off with its first round on Thursday, January 30, and features a prize purse of $2M.

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A look into Nelly Korda's performance at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions

Nelly Korda teed it up at the 2025 Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions with an opening round of 1-under 71. She started the game with a bogey on the first hole and then made two birdies on the sixth and eighth holes. She added another birdie on the 11th and then a bogey on the 18th for a round of 1-under 71.

The American golfer, however, then had a solid outing in the second round of the tournament. She started the game on the tenth hole and made a bogey on the 13th. She then made two back-to-back birdies on the 14th and 15th and then a birdie on the 18th. On the back nine, Korda made three birdies for a 5-under 67.

In the third round, Nelly Korda made a bogey on the third hole before carding six birdies for a round of 67. With an overall score of 11-under, she is currently tied for third place with Lydia Ko, who is the defending champion.

Prior to her impressive start in the opening tournament of 2025, Nelly Korda enjoyed a dominant campaign on the LPGA Tour last year, where she won seven tournaments.

The Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions will conclude with its final on Sunday, February 2, in Orlando.