Nelly Korda’s latest victory, which saw her hold of Charley Hull to win the Annika Driven by Gainbridge at Pelican, will likely have been a little more special than most.
Not only was it her seventh victory of the season, but for the first time, her younger brother, tennis professional Sebastian, was there to see her close out victory.
Korda produced a masterclass on the back nine at Pelican Golf Club in Florida, including a run of five birdies in a row, to see off the challenges of Charley Hull, Im Jin Hee and Weiwei Zhang by three shots for her 14th LPGA Tour title.
Afterwards, she revealed that she didn’t know her sibling was present until she spotted him at the end of her round. She said: “I didn't know he was there on the last three. Just saw him on 18 when I made that last putt.
"Never won in front of him but family is so important to me. For him to drive up - it's not that close from my parents house, hour and 40. For him to drive an hour 40 with three holes remaining, one, he was very confident in me, and, two, just really nice to have his support and be out here. We haven't seen each other since the middle of summer, and to hug him, it was really, really nice.”
She added: "After I walked off the green I greeted him and he gave me a massive hug. We talked about him coming out but I didn't think he was going to just because he hasn't been home in a long time and probably wanted to spend a little time at home and didn't want to drive over an hour."
Sebastian, who reached a career-high ATP singles ranking of 15th in August, was full of praise for his sister following her latest triumph, particularly after it came on her return to action after a spell out with an injury.
He said: “Yeah, it's pretty cool to watch her do her thing. She's done so well this year; worked unbelievably hard. She's gone through a lot of things and always comes back fighting and has just gotten back to work. That's one of the most things I admire about her is just how hard of a worker she is. She's just overall an amazing athlete.”
He also revealed that his support for Nelly is reciprocated whenever he is in action. “She watches almost all my matches whether I'm playing in Australia, Asia," he said. "She's always texting me and watching me."
Nelly also cheered on Sebastian during his second-round US Open tennis match in August, when he lost in straight sets to Tomas Machac.
🦁Following a T2 at The British Open, Nelly Korda spent some time at Flushing Meadows cheering brother Seb Korda on at The US Open 🎾 He plays his 2nd round matchup shortly this morning.[📸@NellyKorda ] Instagram story. pic.twitter.com/QGaDERpmqKAugust 29, 2024
The Kordas are a famous sporting family. As well as Sebastian and Nelly, sister Jessica is also an LPGA Tour star, while dad Petr and mom Regina Rajchrtova, who were also in attendance, are former tennis pros.
Sebastian revealed Nelly's support extends to the whole family. He said: "I couldn't ask for more as a sister. The amount of support and love she gives to all of us, just an incredible person and just really love watching her do her thing.”
Even though Sebastian, who caddied for Nelly at the 2021 PNC Championship, finally witnessed his sister winning an event, he admitted that he had arrived at the course late. “I came for the last three holes,” he said. “I flew in late so a little rough. Just happy to be here and watch her win.”
He also praised Nelly's work ethic, adding: “She's absolutely fierce. She's clutch. There is no one I guess works harder than her. She's an incredible hard worker and all that she achieves she earns. Just a lot of fun to watch her do her thing.”
