Here are a few of Nelly Korda's favorite hometown hangs as she contends in Bradenton
Here are a few of Nelly Korda's favorite hometown hangs as she contends in Bradenton
BRANDENTON, Fla. — Nelly Korda is a regular at Tide Tables, where the fish tacos are delightfully fresh. For a cup of coffee, she frequents The Fox Mercantile. The World No. 1 grew up 15 minutes from this week's Founders Cup, though Bradenton Country Club wasn't her home course. She honed her skills from an early age at another Donald Ross design, nearby Sara Bay Country Club in Sarasota.
"You have beautiful Sarasota, Bradenton, Longboat Key, Anna Maria Island," said Korda of Florida's Gulf Coast. "It's kind of like a hidden gem.'
Though 26-year-old Korda now lives 45 minutes away from Bradenton Country Club, Korda still lives within the city limits. Blake Hospital, where she was born, is less than 2 miles from the clubhouse.
Technically, Korda isn't the defending champion this week, though she hoisted a trophy at this venue one year ago, going wire-to-wire and defeating Lydia Ko in a flurry of a finish. That event was called the Drive On Championship, a tour stop that lacked a title sponsor and was backed by the LPGA.
When Cognizant dropped its sponsorship of the Founders Cup last year, the tour moved that event from New Jersey down to Bradenton, keeping a tournament name alive as the tour celebrates its 75th anniversary. Rose Zhang won the 2024 Founders Cup but isn't in the field this week as she continues her studies at Stanford.
Korda opened with a 3-under 68 at Bradenton on Thursday and trails leader Nanna Koerstz Madsen by three strokes.
'I think biggest key for me is to be good mentally out there, just stay happy, not let the bad shots get too much to your head,' said Koerstz Madsen, who famously used to keep lemons in her bag to suck on when she struggled with strong emotions.
Korda began 2025 with a runner-up showing at the LPGA Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions in Orlando. One of her playing partners from last week, former MLB pitcher Derek Lowe, was in the gallery on Thursday in Bradenton with his wife.
'So many of my friends have already asked for tickets,' said Korda, whose best friend Klara told her she nearly had a heart attack watching her win this event last year in person.
'That's probably the most exciting part of playing in my hometown,' said Korda, 'is having all the local support.'
Korda, a 15-time winner on tour, keeps her trophies and Olympic gold medal in her home office. Her two major championship trophies are on a floating shelf, but the hardware from last year's Drive On and Ford Championship victories was so heavy that she had to put them in the built-in.
'I think the wall would've gone down,' she said with a laugh.
At this rate, she might need to build more.
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