It has happened before in LPGA Tour history, and it involved one of the most decorated players in women’s professional golf.
March 13th, 2000, saw Annika Sorenstam win her first event of the season – she’d go on to win four more times that year – and the very next week her younger sister Charlotta captured her first and only title on the LPGA Tour.
The Korda sisters – Jessica and Nelly – are looking to pull off the same rare feat, as the younger Korda fired a 6-under-par 66 on Friday at the HSBC Women’s World Championship, and sits just four shots back of the lead going into the weekend.
Jessica won last week’s event in Thailand by four shots after shooting 25-under par. The victory was made even more impressive by the fact that she’s still recovering from off-season jaw surgery and has nearly 30 screws still in her face.
Nelly made just one bogey on Friday and seven birdies, including on four of her final six holes. She said this off-season she worked hard on trying to stay more consistent and minimize big mistakes.
“The more consistent I am, the better I'm playing, so hopefully I continue that throughout the season,” said Nelly, who is making her debut at the HSBC Women’s World Championship, having not played the event last year.
Nelly had some solid results as a rookie on the LPGA Tour a year ago, including a tie for fifth in her debut at the Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic. She said having her sister around week-in and week-out helped her to relax during her rookie campaign, but this year she’s committed to trying to take things day-by-day and not get ahead of herself, and getting more comfortable with the life of a professional golfer – both on the course and off.
Despite the fact that there’s a healthy sibling rivalry between the two – it’s all in fun, Nelly said – the younger Korda is quick to point out that her big sister is there for advice any time she needs it. And as there’s not often a coach on the road every week, it’s nice to have that experienced eye to help with anything that may pop up.
“We give each other advice if we see something that really stands out, she's struggling or if I'm struggling… she's really good at helping me with my swing,” said Nelly. “Whenever I ask her, she's always there and it's great.”
Jessica – who sits tied for seventh – admitted it would be “cool” if her and Nelly could match the Sorenstam’s feat from 18 years ago. The elder Korda said Nelly played great on Friday.
“She's a great player. Like I say, she's bound to win a bunch,” she said. “It’s hard to break through out here. There's a lot of great players, but she'll be very, very close to winning very soon.”
Nelly said seeing Jessica find the winner’s circle last week – and knowing how hard things have been for her as she recovers from surgery – was inspiring, as she’s trying to win for the first time on the LPGA Tour.
“She does make me want to be a better player, and seeing her win last week after the tough off-season she's had was definitely very inspiring,” said Nelly. “Hopefully I can step my game up this week and take it home, but we'll see.”
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