Small Margins, Big Gains: Stats Reveal Nelly Korda's Phenomenal Year-On-Year Improvement

Nelly Korda’s 2024 season will be remembered as one for the ages. The 26-year-old notched seven LPGA Tour victories, including her second Major title, and added four more top-10 finishes in an extraordinary campaign.

Since reclaiming the World No. 1 ranking in March - a position she has held at least once every year since 2021 - Nelly Korda has showcased remarkable consistency. However, her season wasn’t without challenges, including a brief slump in the summer when she missed three consecutive cuts. So, what has been the secret to her improved shot-making and overall performance compared to her 2023 season, when she ended the year ranked World No. 5?

Statistics from KPMG Performance Statistics shed some light on the transformation. Korda played 67 rounds in 2023, but just 53 rounds this year. Notably, Korda and fellow American Rose Zhang each participated in only 35 events in 2024, the fewest among the top 25 players in the Rolex World Rankings.

While Nelly Korda’s streamlined schedule this season may reflect a more focused and efficient approach, it wasn’t entirely by design. As in 2023, when a summer back injury sidelined her for a month, Korda also faced health challenges this year when a neck injury forced her to miss two LPGA starts last month.

Despite a few setbacks, Korda has made notable improvements across key metrics. Her scoring average per round has dropped slightly, from 69.9 in 2023 to 69.7 in 2024. Already one of the LPGA Tour’s longest hitters, she extended her average driving distance by an extra yard, from 269 to 270 yards, while improving her fairways hit percentage from 73.9% to 75% and greens hit in regulation from 73.2% to 75.%. One of her most impressive gains came in greens hit under regulation, climbing from 4.40% to 5.90%.

The most telling improvement is in her strokes gained across all areas of the game, which has surged from 1.68 in 2023 to an impressive 2.49 this year. These incremental gains collectively underscore the exceptional consistency and quality of her play throughout her historic season.