Meet Nelly Korda: The best female golfer in the world who’s going for SECOND Olympic gold and is Tiger Woods’ No1 fan
NELLY Korda is the top female golfer on the planet right now.
She’s competing at the Paris 2024 Olympics — here’s everything you need to know about her.
Who is golfer Nelly Korda?
Nelly Korda, 25, is an American professional golfer who competes on the LPGA tour.
On June 27, 2021, she became the first US female golfer to be ranked No1 in the world — the ranking she currently holds — since Stacy Lewis back in 2014.
She is the younger sister of Jessica Norda, who is also a professional golfer on the LPGA tour, and the older sister of Sebastian Korda, a professional tennis player.
The Korda siblings get their athletic abilities from their parents, Czech former tennis pros Petr Korda and Regina Rajchrtova.
Petr won the 1998 Australian Open and was ranked world No2 during the same year.
Regina represented her nation at the Seoul 1988 Olympics and also reached a career-high ranking of world No26.
Nelly is also one of golf GOAT Tiger Woods’ biggest fans.
She played in the PNC Championship in December 2021 — Tiger’s first event following the serious injury he suffered in a horror Los Angeles car crash in February of the same year.
Nelly said: “Playing right in front of Tiger Woods is pretty cool too. I’m not going to lie. I’m being a little selfish here, but that’s pretty cool.
“When I heard the news [that he would be playing], I was in complete shock, especially since it being his first event back.
“I mean, for him to come back from what he went through – when was his accident, February? Incredible.
“He’s had so many comebacks, and he’s always come back even stronger I feel like, and not many people expect it.
“But he’s done so much for the game of golf. We wouldn’t be where we are nowadays without him. He brings a completely different atmosphere.
“I always say I don’t really watch a lot of golf, but when Tiger is in contention, I’m always glued to the TV.
“So that’s just the impact he makes on the game of golf. And it will be super exciting just to be playing in the same field as him.”
Who is Nelly Korda’s boyfriend Andreas Athanasiou?
Nelly is in a relationship with Andreas Athanasiou, who hails from Ontario, Canada.
The couple made their relationship official in 2019 via a Thanksgiving Instagram post, which has since been removed.
Andreas is a professional athlete, too — he currently plays for NHL outfit the Chicago Blackhawks.
He’s previously played for the Detroit Red Wings and Edmonton Oilers.
At 29 years of age, Andreas is four years older than Nelly.
In 2012, he was drafted by Detroit in the fourth round as the 110th overall pick.
He signed a two-year contract with the Blackhawks in 2023.
Although Nelly and Andreas regularly show up at each other’s tournaments and games, they prefer to keep information about their relationship out of the public domain.
What tournaments has Nelly Korda won?
Nelly made her Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020, winning the gold medal in the women’s individual event.
She also won two World Championship silver medals in 2018 and 2023.
Since turning pro in 2016, Nelly has won 19 professional titles including the Australian Open, the LPGA Drive on Championship and the women’s PGA Championship.
And she’s already won six titles so far in 2024, including winning five straight to kick off the season.
She is the first athlete on the LPGA tour to win five consecutive titles in nearly 20 years, and only the third athlete to ever accomplish the feat — following in the footsteps of Nancy Lopez in 1978 and Annika Sorenstam in 2004-05.