Golf star Nelly Korda talks about Sports Illustrated Swimsuit experience

Nelly Korda has been a dominant force in the golf world since turning professional in 2016. She continues to shine with victories on diverse courses and an unshakable approach to competition. However, in 2024, Korda expanded her horizons by debuting in Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit edition.

Korda is naturally most comfortable on the golf course, considering that she spends hours practicing on the green. She was a little uncertain about what to expect with regard to Sports Illustrated’s shoot and how it would unfold.

However, Korda found that the process wasn’t too stressful. She told Golf Week, “MJ Day, the editor, she was so amazing. The whole crew was so amazing. I was very shy at first. I’m not used to doing anything like that; so outside my comfort zone.”

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Korda continued, “I think that’s what’s great about these opportunities is that you do get to step outside your comfort zone and do something different… I mean it was so cool. The whole crew was amazing. By the end of the day, I was having so much fun with them.”

Sports Illustrated’s website wrote that Korda fashionably donned a two-piece white bikini from a brand called Vitamin A. She told the LPGA podcast, “It was such an amazing honor to be in it with all the amazing athletes they have lined up after me.”

Korda didn’t just wake up one morning and become the best female golfer on the planet. With that said, her background likely gave her a leg up on much of the competition. ESPN wrote that both of her parents are professional tennis players, and that her older sister Jessica is also on the LPGA Tour. Athletic prowess has been a staple of the Korda family dynamic.

Korda’s 2024 LPGA season has been a coming out party, even though she had already previously displayed immense talent. Through November 2024, she has won seven tournaments in the calendar year, including a dominant stretch in late March-early April that saw her win four straight events.

Nelly Korda has also worn the red, white and blue with pride during international competitions. She won a gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and competed for the United States in the 2024 Paris Games as well.

Korda has been a shining star for the United States, but has strong ties with the Czech Republic. Both of her parents, Petr and Regina, were born in the former Czechoslovakia. The couple relocated to Florida after they retired from their respective tennis careers.

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Petr Korda shared his thoughts with People about the similarities tennis and golf have. “At the end of the day, you’re under the microscope. Every bad stroke or shot is very visible. But when you play well, the glory is all yours.”

It’s no surprise that Nelly Korda had a structured program as a child as she pursued her golf dreams. According to Golf Monthly, Korda took the sport seriously as early as six years old. She had lessons three to four times a week, even during those years.

It was easy to see Korda coming strong from a mile away. Golf Digest wrote, “Korda is becoming a marquee draw the tour hasn’t seen since Michelle Wie West, with the crowds following Korda growing throughout the week to Sunday (at Chevron), which produced some of the largest galleries the LPGA has seen in recent years.”

Korda had to deal with an unexpected health challenge in March 2022, as it was revealed that she had a blood clot in her arm after a practice day. Korda had to undergo emergency surgery, and missed six months of competition while she was on the mend.

According to The New York Times, Korda is the first American golfer to win seven tournaments in a single LPGA season since Beth Daniel in 1990. She’s the first player to win that many events in a calendar year since Yang Tseng back in 2011.

Korda told The New York Times, “I feel like I’ve lived nine lives since January 2024. This year has been crazy. It’s been amazing, but it’s also tested me so much. I’ve gone through some of the lowest lows to the highest of highs.”

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It’s easy to envision Korda starring in a different sport had she not decided to become a professional golfer. However, she told Golf Monthly that she would have been interested in becoming a lawyer had athletics not taken her as far as it has.