4 days ago
Nelly Korda suffers neck spasm, but will be ready for Women's PGA
Nelly Korda during the final round of the ShopRite LPGA Classic earlier in June 2025. PHOTO: AFP
FRISCO – World No. 1 Nelly Korda attended a press conference on June 17 ahead of the KPMG Women's PGA Championship with therapeutic tape on her neck.
The American explained that she suffered a spasm the day before during practice at PGA Frisco, the site of this week's Major championship.
'I hit a shot out of the rough yesterday (Monday), and my neck went into a full spasm,' she said. 'It's getting better, but yeah, it was not very good yesterday.'
Korda – the betting favourite to win this week despite a winless start to her season – added that she expects to be ready for her first-round tee time on June 19.
The injury nonetheless comes at a tough time for the 26-year-old, whose last win on the LPGA Tour came in November. She tied for second at the US Women's Open earlier in June.
Korda cited a neck injury for missing a pair of tournaments on the Asia swing late in the 2024 season. She also sat out a chunk of the 2022 season due to a blood clot in her arm.
'Obviously with the injury that I had last year, 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,' she said.
'But I have a great physio who takes care of me. Trying to work through it, but I'll be ready by Thursday.'
She also said the heat in Texas this week will be a potential complicating factor as she tries to gameplan how to 'be smart' and take care of her body while going out and competing.
Korda won the first of her two Major titles at the 2021 Women's PGA in Atlanta. That earned her a lifetime invite to the champions' dinner, but she had to pass on the tradition on June 16 evening while getting treatment for her neck.
'I didn't go because of my neck. I was so sad to miss it, though,' she said. 'I messaged (defending champion Amy Yang of South Korea); the menu looked unbelievable. I love Korean food. So I was really jealous.
'At the end of the day, I need to prioritise my body. So I wasn't able to go, but I missed out on a good dinner.'
Meanwhile in men's golf, fellow top-ranked Scottie Scheffler is the defending champion this week at the Travelers Championship, where he defeated Tom Kim in a playoff last season.
He is coming off a T7 finish at the US Open at Oakmont Country Club last weekend and has won three of his last five events, including the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow.
Scheffler needs no more reminders that his caddie, Ted Scott, was on Bubba Watson's bag when Watson won the Travelers Championship three times – in 2010, 2015 and 2018.
He said Scott has helped him to put the signature event's 6,844-yard, par-70 layout in perspective.
'What we talk about on that golf course is I think there's a stigma around it that you have to make a ton of birdies, but it's really about getting the most looks,' the American said.
'There's certain holes where you have to play really conservative and play to the middle of the green and just get as many looks for birdie as possible.
'The Travelers is a great golf course in the sense you get very rewarded for good shots. If you start hitting offline, you can be punished pretty severely. The closing stretch enhances that, and that's why you have such great finishes there year after year.'
Scheffler shot 65-64-64-65 to finish 22 under par in 2024, then bested Kim on the first playoff hole with a par at the 18th. REUTERS, AFP
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