World No. 1 Nelly Korda Battling Neck Injury Heading into KPMG Women's PGA Championship

Nelly Korda announced Tuesday she would be teeing it up at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship not quite 100 percent.

Korda, the world No. 1, said she suffered a neck injury while hitting out of the rough on Monday.

“It’s getting better, but yeah, it was not very good (Monday),” said Korda, who, unfortunately, had to skip the past-champions dinner Monday night.

“I messaged Amy (Yang). The menu looked unbelievable. I love Korean food. So, I was really jealous. At the end of the day, I need to prioritize my body.”

Korda comes into the week still searching for her first win of 2025. She, of course, won an incredible seven times last year en route to winning Player of the Year honors.

She won the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in 2021.

Korda has four top-10 finishes in nine starts so far in 2025 and she’s had a run of marked consistency, having not finished outside the top 20 since April. That run includes a runner up at the U.S. Women’s Open. She also sits second in strokes gained: total, and first in strokes gained: off the tee (while also sitting fifth in strokes gained: tee to green).

While Korda had a tremendous start to 2024, somewhat unbelievably, there hasn’t yet been a repeat winner on the LPGA Tour so far this season.

Fifteen events, and 15 winners.

“It's golf. Every year is just so different. Last year coming into this event, I had five wins. I think even Hannah Green had multiple wins under her belt too coming into this event. It's just… it's just golf,” Korda said. “You kind of just have to ride the wave, and the competition is getting better and better every year. To win once, to win twice, it's really good.”

This week is, of course, the first test for the women at Fields Ranch East. Korda said the whole of the golf course plays “pretty difficult” depending on the wind. She stated all of the par-5s are three-shot holes for her – one of the longest golfers on the LPGA Tour. The downwind holes, she admitted, are going to play the hardest since it’s hard to hold the greens.

“I think every hole looks really different. You just have to pay attention all 18 holes, and that’s kind of what’s so great about major championships – that you have to give 100 percent to every single shot on every single hole,” Korda said. “You can’t kind of disconnect a little and be like, ‘OK, this is an easier hole’ or a little bit of, ‘I can take a deep breath and maybe bounce back with a birdie’ because every shot out here, the rough is so thick.”

Korda found that out the hard way Monday.

She also suffered a neck injury late in 2024 that forced her to withdraw from two events in Asia close to the end of the year, sustaining the injury during practice prior to the Asian swing. She also said she struggled with migraine during the Solheim Cup and the following week.

“Every single time something kind of flares up in my neck now, I think I feel it a little bit more than what I used to,” Korda said. “But I have a great physio who takes care of me. Trying to work through it, but I'll be ready by Thursday.”