Nelly Korda became the winner at the 2026 Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions. But the victory drew scrutiny after LPGA Tour officials canceled the final round and declared the winner based on third-round results. And Korda has opened up on this.

During the presser at Lake Nona Golf & Country Club, she said, “I think the LPGA is always going to do what's best for the players."

Almost everyone who went out to warm up ahead of the final round came back in confusion regarding the scheduling. But Nelly Korda came up with a reality check. She continued, “What we have on the line versus what the celebrities have on the line is a little bit different.” 

“I think the LPGA made the decision to look after their players, and at the end of the day, we can't do anything about that. All we can do is prepare with the information we are told.”

The chief tour business and operations officer of the LPGA Tour, Ricki Lasky, confirmed that the harsh weather changed the trajectory of the balls during practice. Lasky and the officials tried to take as much time as possible to get all 72 holes in play. But things couldn’t proceed any further than 54 holes. 

However, the lows dropped into the mid-20s °F. Wind reached 20-25 mph, with sustained winds near 15 mph pushing shots offline and making it hard to putt. This repeatedly delayed the gameplay. Ultimately, the officials cancelled the final round. 

But how did Korda manage to keep going?

Nelly Korda Reveals the Effort It Takes to Compete Under Harsh Conditions

As the presser continued, Korda reflected on the brutal conditions at the 2024 AIG British Women’s Open. But it was her mindset that kept pushing her. Of course, there were bad shots, but one just has to keep sending it to the hole. 

“At the end of the day, those situations make me very present, and I have to really dial in to, one, my target and, two, just commitment to the shot,” she said. “Like everything is just about being 100% committed.”

“Even if it's the wrong decision, you have to be 100% committed to it.”

Korda leaned on discipline and commitment to navigate chaos. But for now, we shall join her in celebrating her first win in 2026. 

Written by

Krushna Pattnaik

Edited by

Joyita Das