The LPGA Tour announced Monday that world No. 1 Nelly Korda has officially claimed the 2024 Rolex Player of the Year award with three events still remaining in the season. Only Ayaka Furue had an opportunity to catch the American down the stretch, but when she did not win the TOTO Japan Classic last weekend, Korda secured the honors.
The 26-year-old is the second straight American to win the award following in the footsteps of Lilia Vu last year. It marks the first time Americans have gone back-to-back since 1993-94. Korda is the 27th different individual to win the title since its debut in 1966.
“Winning the Rolex Player of the Year means so much to me,” Korda said. “This season has had its highs and challenges, and I’m just really grateful for the people around me who have helped me get here. It’s been a team effort, and I’m proud to share this moment with them.”
After finishing T16 in her season debut at the Tournament of Champions, Korda found a different gear. She won in a playoff over Lydia Ko at the LPGA Drive on Championship and rattled off five straight victories capped off by a major triumph at The Chevron Championship. The win represented Korda’s second major title and matched Nancy Lopez and Annika Sorenstam for the longest winning streak on the LPGA since 1978.
A sixth victory came soon after at the Mizuho Americas Open before Korda’s campaign hit some turbulence. An opening 80 at the U.S. Open was lowlighted by carding a 10 on a par 3 and led to what was the first of three straight missed cuts. The last came at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship where she backed up a first-round 69 with a second-round 81 to once be a weekend omission in a major championship.
Korda clawed back over the summer, however. She played a factor in her defense of the gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics but ultimately fell short to Ko. She once again saw the Kiwi clip her at the finish line at the AIG Women’s Open as the American’s poor play down the stretch led to a runner-up result at the Old Course at St. Andrews.
Across just 14 starts, Korda notched six wins, nine top-10 finishes and $3.7 million in earnings while ranking first in both total driving and par-4 scoring.
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