Well, that didn’t take long. Just a week after picking up her third major title at The Chevron Championship and earning two points toward entry into the LPGA Hall of Fame, Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings No. 1 Nelly Korda has added another tally to her increasing total.

The American superstar won by four strokes over Thailand native Arpichaya Yubol in her tournament debut at the Riviera Maya Open at Mayakoba in Mexico, a victory that is now her 18th on the LPGA Tour and one that secured the 27-year-old a 23rd Hall of Fame point, putting Nelly within four points of automatic qualification for one of the most exclusive halls of fame in all of sport.

“I'm just enjoying myself, and I love the competition,” said Korda, who finished with a four-day total of 17-under. “I love traveling to places like Mexico, all over the world. I'm just having fun.”

A single LPGA Hall of Fame point is awarded for a regular tournament victory, while two points are given for major championship titles. Athletes then earn a point each for an Olympic gold medal, winning the Vare Trophy and earning Rolex Player of the Year honors.

Nelly entered the 2026 season with 19 points, one for each of her regular tournament victories, two for her triumphs at the 2021 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and 2024 Chevron Championship, one for the gold medal she earned in 2021 at the Tokyo Olympics and one for her 2024 Rolex Player of the Year award.

The Floridian’s win at the season-opening Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions got her to 20 points, and Nelly then notched two more points after dominating in Houston, Texas. Her performance in Mexico has bumped that total to 23 points, which now has her needing just four points to gain entry into the LPGA Hall of Fame.

When she does secure those remaining points, Nelly will be the first athlete since Lydia Ko won gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics to automatically qualify for the Hall. And considering she went from 10 points to 19 points in just one year, and when you think about the kind of excellent tear she has been on since January, it certainly isn’t unreasonable to think that Korda will find herself among the best in the women’s game well before the Solheim Cup.

But if he does have to wait, Nelly has positioned herself well early to secure both Rolex Player of the Year and Vare Trophy honors at the end of the year, as this latest victory is Nelly’s third in six starts across the 2026 LPGA Tour season. Furthermore, she has yet to finish any worse than a tie for second since getting her 10th year as a Tour member underway, only being beaten by two athletes this season: Hyo Joo Kim at both the Fortinet Founders Cup and Ford Championship presented by Wild Horse Pass and Lauren Coughlin at the Aramco Championship.

Her next scheduled start is the Kroger Queen City Championship presented by P&G, which is being contested for the first time at Maketewah Country Club in Cincinnati, Ohio.

The Korda countdown to the LPGA Hall of Fame will continue in the Buckeye State, and Nelly will move to within three points of gaining entry if she is able to triumph again in her seventh start of the year and her third appearance in that tournament, at which she has tied for fifth in the previous two editions.

Korda Countdown: Nelly Now Within Four Points of LPGA Hall of Fame Qualification

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