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Nelly Korda clinches 2026 LPGA Rolex Player of the Year honors
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- Nelly Korda clinches 2026 LPGA Rolex Player of the Year honors
Nelly Korda is nearing the end of a two-month break from competitive golf, but she just clinched the 2026 Rolex Player of the Year award. By winning the award and the single LPGA Hall of Fame point that goes along with it, the 28-year-old is now just one point away from becoming the 36th member of this legendary club.
Early in the season, Korda built a healthy lead in the points race by winning five times, including two majors. Those closest to her, Haeran Ryu (63 points behind), Miyu Yamashita (83 points behind), and Jeeno Thitkul (84 points behind), needed to win this week's Toto Japan Classic, the Annika and then tour's season-ending event, the CME Group Tour Championship to be able to track her down. But Ryu isn't playing this week in Japan due to an odd injury to a ligament in her finger that she sustained in a golf cart during a pro am, the Associated Press reported . And when the deadline to register for The Annika passed Tuesday at 5 p.m., neither Thitikul nor Yamashita had signed up. With both players out of the field, Korda locked up POY honors for the second time in three years.
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Korda now seeks her 27th Hall of Fame point, which she can gain with her next LPGA victory or with another season-ending award. The Vare Trophy, for low scoring average, would count except Korda is not eligible to win it this year because she hasn't played enough rounds to be eligible. Players need to play at least 70 rounds to win the award, and Korda has played 53 rounds thus far in 2026, with potentially another eight coming at the Annika and the CME.
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Victory, however, at the Annika seems very much within Korda's grasp as she has won the title in the event three times in the last five years.
At the KPMG Women's PGA Championship in June, Korda was asked about the Hall of Fame. At the time, Korda said that she didn't know how many points away she was from qualifying, only that she knew she was close. She likes to keep some distance from the stat, so as not to put more pressure on herself.
"I think it's an amazing accomplishment and it would be one of the best achievements of my career for sure," Korda said at the time.
For sure she knows now, however, and the chance to close out the year by closing out her Hall of Fame chase would be an impressive way to finish off an incredible season.
