It’s been quite a busy travel schedule for Jessica Korda, with the 29-year-old American visiting the Czech Republic, Spain and Canada over the past few weeks. She also made the trek to New York City to watch younger brother and No. 52 in the ATP rankings, Sebastian, compete in the U.S. Open at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing Meadows. But the most meaningful pit stop for Korda was her time spent in Atlanta with friend and fellow Tour pro, Jane Park, whose daughter Grace was celebrating her second birthday. Grace suffered brain damage from seizures spurred by a virus last year, and Korda said the Monday night event felt like a true sense of community as several other LPGA Tour players also made the trip.
“I haven't seen Jane in such a long time and obviously Grace has grown so much. She's definitely the biggest two year old I've ever seen,” said Korda. “The only thing that really defines them is resilience. The love and the support system they have around them is amazing. It's just such a different life. Seeing Jane smile and Pete smile was awesome, and getting to interact with Grace was phenomenal. Always trying to raise awareness about them and for them and just try to help them in any way possible.”
Korda then made her way to Cincinnati, Ohio and Kenwood Country Club for the inaugural Kroger Queen City Championship presented by P&G, a new stop on the LPGA Tour calendar and one that Jessica’s husband, Johnny, was disappointed to miss as a Cincinnati Bengals fan. Kenwood was soaked through with rain earlier in the week and was closed for play on Monday and Tuesday, but Korda was able to see the back nine on Wednesday during the shortened nine-hole pro-am and was liking what she saw despite the damp conditions.
“The fact I had 4-iron into the first hole was a real shock on a par-4,” she said. “For me, it was more just trying to see the golf course, and then the conditions are obviously secondhand. I know they redid the golf course three years ago and some of the greens were actually pretty firm, which I was really surprised about. With how much water we have on the actual golf course, to then not see your golf ball spin back on the greens was very interesting, because I was expecting massive rip back and we didn't see that today at all.”
The 2022 season has been full of ups and downs for Korda with the six-time LPGA Tour winner carding five top 10s including a solo second at the Chevron Championship while also battling various injuries throughout the year. But she’s figured out how to have success in spite of the struggles, and Korda said that she tries her best to keep things in perspective, especially considering what she’s watched Park go through over the past year and change.
“It's kind of just been like this for the last couple years, just trying to manage my injuries. It's something I've had to do my entire career, and so I just take each day for what it is and manage through it. It's just golf. Injuries come and go and I'll get through it, figure it out. That's just how I always have. But this kind of stuff is more important,” said Korda. “I don't think I'm ever going to be able to imagine what (Jane’s) going through day-to-day. You go from being a golfer to a mom to a mom that plays golf, to having your life flipped upside down.
“The way that her and Pete have been able to just manage their life, they're just so resilient. They find the happiness in each day, which I know is tough, and it's tough to watch them go through that. But this tour is a family, and just the same as they kind of took me in when I was a rookie. You make friendships out here for life.”
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