[PHOTO: David Cannon]

Let this serve as a warning to her fellow competitors: as Nelly Korda starts the 2025 LPGA season, she says she’s carrying even more confidence than she had during her record-breaking 2024 campaign.

Korda, the world’s No.1 golfer, won seven times last year, including a major at the Chevron Championship. Obviously, that’s enough reason for confidence in itself. But handling the success, along with the intense scrutiny and pressure that came with it, caused the 26-year-old to grow as a person, too.

Speaking overnight (Australian time) at Lake Nona Golf & Country Club in Orlando ahead of this week’s season-opening Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions, Korda was asked where she experienced the most growth in 2024: “Being more confident in who I am as a person, like not performing to what people want me to be, be who I want to be. Just seeing more confidence in just myself and also knowing that I have an amazing group of people around me that I appreciate so much.”

Along the way in 2024, Korda won a record-tying five consecutive tournaments, and the spotlight was awfully bright during that stretch. But the year wasn’t flawless, as she missed cuts in back-to-back majors at the US Women’s Open and the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. She got back on track in the final major of the season by finishing tied for second at the AIG Women’s Open.

“It was a year of definitely learning. I learned more about myself,” Korda said. “I put myself in uncomfortable positions, but I saw a lot of growth in that. I think it was also a year where I appreciated the people around me, the people that are very close to me, a lot more, my core people, people that I can lean on through the ups and downs. Last year was definitely a very, very, very crazy year but I’m also very grateful for the ups and downs because I think I learned a lot more about myself.”

After playing golf with her dad at the PNC Championship last month, Korda put her clubs away during the holiday period, getting away from the game by going on a mountain getaway and enjoying cooking.

Lydia Ko is the defending champion at Lake Nona, with Korda finishing tied for 16th a year ago. Korda has four top-five finishes and six top-10s in the event, with her best showing being a runner-up in 2018.

This will be one of two Florida events Korda will play to start her 2025 season. She will pass on playing in the three events that make up the LPGA’s early Asia Swing.

To start the year, Korda also will have a new club in her bag, putting in play TaylorMade’s Qi35 driver.

As for expectations for 2025, Korda understands there will be a lot of eyes on her, but she feels prepared to handle that kind of scrutiny.

“Last year is last year,” Korda said. “When it comes to defending titles, the field is different. There’s different girls in the field. The golf course can be different so there’s so many different variabilities that go into the game of golf when you’re defending that completely changes it. I try not to take that approach of ‘I’m defending’ and take the approach that this is a new week and this is a new opportunity. I’m prepared. I’m going to prepare my hardest. I’m going into the week with a positive attitude.”

She’ll be able to defend six of the seven victories since last week the LPGA abruptly cancelled the Fir Hills Seri Pak Championship at Palos Verdes Golf Club. The event was scheduled for March.

“[It’s] very unfortunate for the fans, players and everyone involved in the event not going back and playing that event,” Korda said. “But, there’s nothing you can really do about it. I know the LPGA worked tirelessly to make that event happen but at the end of the day there’s not much you can do about that.”

There’s plenty that Korda can do about the other six she’ll defend, and her confidence and growth seemingly has put her in another good spot to be raising more trophies this year.