When did Nelly Korda turn pro? What happened at her rookie season?

Nelly Korda is a professional golfer on the LPGA Tour. She is one of the brightest stars in the league since she became a professional golfer. That occurred in 2016 when she began on the Symetra Tour.

Her career began with a win at the Sioux Falls GreatLIFE Challenge, an omen for things to come. She would go on to become a routine winner at LPGA events.

However, despite starting in 2016, her official rookie year, per the LPGA Tour, was 2017. Despite a stellar start to her career, she did not earn Rookie of the Year. Instead, that honor went to Sung Hyun Park.

Korda has spent three stints atop the OWGR LPGA rankings, though none of them came during that rookie season. It took a bit of time, but she quickly became one of the best golfers working today.

She spent 17 weeks on top starting on June 28, 2021. She then spent 19 weeks at the top beginning on November 8, 2021. She finished that season atop the list.

Her third stint began on November 14 this year and lasted two weeks. She narrowly missed out on topping the rankings for a second consecutive year.

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Nelly Korda receives high praise from PGA Tour members

It's not just LPGA Tour members that are appreciating Nelly Korda. At the QBE Shootout, she put on an absolute show and caught the attention of several other golfers.

She clearly made an incredible impression on them as they were largely left dumbfounded. According to Golf Week, Kevin Kisner heaped high praise on the golfer:

“I think I called her the Tiger Woods of the LPGA Tour at one point. And then through about seven or eight holes I said she’s hit every shot just like she wants to for eight holes. Like does she hit a bad shot? I have no idea, I’ve never seen her hit a bad shot. We were laughing all day.”

Max Homa agreed, calling it "a bit outrageous," and continued:

“She drove it down the middle on every hole, she almost hit the pin three times, hit it to like two inches on one par 4, then from way too far that next one, she almost hit the pin. And chipped it great, so I don’t know how she does not win every week. It’s a testament to these other ladies that anyone can even sniff beating her because that was wildly impressive.”

That's incredibly high praise from a few of the best to play on the PGA Tour. They were surprised to learn that Korda doesn't win every single tournament. She told them that Lydia Ko wins quite a lot, but Homa and Kisner weren't convinced.

Max Homa and Kevin Kisner were impressed with Nelly Korda

Just five or so years after debuting as a rookie on the LPGA Tour, Nelly Korda has become a household name being compared to Tiger Woods. That's about as meteoric of a rise as one can have.