Nelly Korda will miss the fall Asian swing due to a minor neck injury, the World No. 1 has posted on social media. Korda noted that she sustained the injury while practicing. She was slated to compete in this week’s BMW Ladies Championship in South Korea as well as the Maybank Championship in Malaysia.
“I’m disappointed to miss these events and am especially sorry to my fans who were looking forward to seeing me play,” Korda wrote. “I’m currently resting and working with my team to get better. Thank you for all your support – it truly means the world to me!”
A six-time winner on tour this season, Korda currently leads the Rolex Player of the Year race by 100 points over Lydia Ko and, with six events left on tour this season, has nearly clinched the title. Ko would need to win three more times on tour this season and post an additional second place to have a chance to catch Korda. The Kiwi, however, is currently only signed up to play in three more events: BMW, The ANNIKA and CME Group Tour Championship.
A three-time winner on the LPGA this season, Ko’s golden victory at the Paris Olympics, which got her into the LPGA Hall of Fame, does not count toward the tour’s POY race.
The only other players who could potentially unseat Korda are Ayaka Furue and Haeran Ryu. Furue trails by 120 points and would need at least four more wins for a shot at catching Korda, while Ryu would need to win five events to have a chance. Points are awarded for top-10 finishes.
Korda could clinch it later this month while sitting at home on her couch.
This isn’t the first injury to sideline Korda in what has been an historic but strange season. Earlier this year, she was sidelined after a dog bit her left thigh at a coffee shop in Seattle. The incident occurred one day after Korda carded a shocking 81 at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Sahalee to miss her third consecutive cut.
The 26-year-old leads the tour in money with $3,676,930 and ranks second in the Vare Trophy race for lowest scoring average at 69.92, though Korda won’t be eligible for the award as she will fail to meet the minimum of 70 official rounds needed to be eligible. Thailand’s Jenno Thitikul currently leads the race with a 69.89 average.
Both the Vare Trophy and POY winners receive one LPGA Hall of Fame point. Korda currently has 17 of the 27 points needed to qualify for the LPGA Hall.
Korda’s next start will likely be The Annika driven by Gainbridge at Pelican Nov. 14-17 in Belleair, Florida. She won the event in 2021 and 2022.
This story was updated because an earlier version included an inaccuracy.
