In a delicious slice of irony, Nelly Korda – somehow, some way, winless in 2025 – will be in the final group Sunday of the final event of the season. The only challenge?

She enters the final round of the season finale six shots back of the lead held by Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul.

A win could happen, of course. Finally. But this week is a bit of a microcosm of the year as a whole – absolutely spectacular golf, but just a little short.

“I played really great golf. Played some iffy golf. Think that's every year you kind of do that,” Korda said. “But I'm just grateful for the people around me.”

Through most of 2025, Korda has had, statistically anyway, an even better output than in 2024 when she won seven times, five titles of which came in a row, but she has yet to find the winner’s circle in 2025. She has eight top-10s in 18 starts – soon to be nine in 19 – and has two runner-up results at the season-opening Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions (2) and also the U.S. Women’s Open presented by Ally (T2).

She is also second in strokes gained total, and is basically the Tour’s best ball-striker, sitting at first in strokes gained off the tee and fourth in strokes gained tee to green.

Korda shot a 64 Friday at Tiburón Golf Club, just one back of the round of the day, and backed that up with a Saturday 65. She made three birdies in her final six holes on the front nine of the CME Group Tour Championship and made four in five holes on the back nine.

“Definitely felt like I played solid,” Korda said of her Saturday. “Hit it really great off the tee into the greens and capitalized on some of the putts. There are definitely a few I left out there, but that's golf. They're all very close, burning edges, so that means I'm hitting it where I want to.”

Korda was quick to say that the golf course lends itself to aggressive play if you put yourself in a good position – and that’s exactly what happened on the 15-time LPGA Tour winner’s back nine. The only problem, in terms of making up ground, was that Thitikul was just as dialled in. The Thai superstar made four birdies in a row on Nos. 11 through 14 and added another on the par-5 17th hole to close out her third round.

Korda, in her ninth start at the CME Group Tour Championship, said she’s never seen the golf course this scoreable. In an odd twist for Florida, there has been essentially no wind all week.

“Yesterday, Jason (McDede, her caddie) was talking about on nine he was like, ‘Rarely do I ever toss up some grass,’ and I'm like, ‘There is no wind at all,’ which is just very unusual, very unusual for Florida, where we always have like that 10- to 15-mile an hour wind. But you can kind of see with the score. They're super low. The golf course is gettable,” Korda said.

Korda sits in a tie for second through 54 holes at 16-under alongside Pajaree Anannarukarn. She’ll play with Thitikul at 11:40 a.m. on Sunday in the final group of the final event of 2025.

But it shouldn’t necessarily come as a surprise to see Korda in this position at the CME Group Tour Championship, as she hasn’t finished outside the top 10 in this event in the last four years.

“I think growing up on Bermuda (grass) really helps. Being comfortable and having family and friends come down and cheer me on is always really nice,” Korda said. “But overall, I'm very happy with the way I play out here. Hopefully another good one tomorrow.”

Korda made an early splash this week, launching a new shoe from Nike that she designed. She got it in the hands of WNBA megastar Caitlin Clark and also Lebron James, who has taken a big liking to Korda – posting about her a handful of times over the last week.

“He loves golf, and I love that he loves golf,” Korda said.

And with a victory within distant reach, Korda knows her team and some of the most notable names in sport are going to try to will her across the finish line in the final round, given how tough it is to win on the LPGA Tour, particularly in 2025.

“The competition is just getting better. Girls are just getting really good. You see that across all sports, though. Everyone is getting better. The technology, when it comes to that, the knowledge, whatever you want to point it to, it's just really tough to win anywhere,” Korda said earlier in the week. “Overall, I mean, the goal every week is to be in that final group and to raise a trophy. I would say in individual spots you definitely lose more than you win, but it's always just a learning opportunity for me.

“The drive of competing against the best players in the world is what drives me to be out here and to compete.”

And with 18 holes left in the 2025 season, she’ll need to take down the very best player in the world to win the CME Group Tour Championship, a breakthrough moment that Korda is certainly more than ready for.

Korda Pursuing Winner’s Circle for Last Time in 2025 at CME Group Tour Championship

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