PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. -- After finishing in second place at last year's U.S. Women's Open -- her best-ever finish at the event -- Nelly Korda's disappointment was quickly replaced by what she described Tuesday as a "hunger for more" that has stayed with her since.
"It was just like, there's no better place to be in than in the hunt on a back nine on Sunday at a major championship, especially at the Women's Open," Korda said. "Even if it doesn't work out, you constantly want to put yourself back into that because all that work that you've put in in your off weeks, that's what makes it worth it."
This week, as the best players in the world descend on historic Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles for the first time, Korda arrives as the unquestioned best player in the world and the favorite to lift the trophy come Sunday.
"I think I'm just a lot more comfortable in my skin. I know what I want to do when I come out," Korda said of how her attitude heading into majors has evolved. "There's a process. There's structure. There's not like looking around thinking, 'oh, should I do this? Should I do a little bit more?' I just come out here with a plan and I execute it."
Last month, Korda secured her third major championship with a dominant win at the Chevron Championship. No one got within four shots of her on the weekend. The victory continued what has been one of the best stretches of her career so far.
In seven starts this season, Korda has won three times and her worst finish - two weeks ago at the Kroger Queen City Championship -- has been a T-8. Each one of her six other finishes has either been a win or a runner-up.
In 2025, the 27-year-old had nine top-10 finishes but ended the year without a victory. That was coming off a historic 2024 season where she won five times in a row, including at the Chevron that year, and seven times overall.
"Last year was just a weird year of kind of not necessarily playing my best, but also when I did, not getting the bounces or just missing by a centimeter here and there," Korda said. "But I also learned a lot about myself. It made me hungrier to be in those positions."
While Korda cautioned that other players may look at a struggling year as a reason to "reinvent the wheel" -- be it by changing a swing, a caddie or coach -- she said it was important to her to stick to her process.
"I was definitely a little bit more motivated after last year not getting a win, but when it came to just my prep, everything stayed the same," Korda said. "I always just try to be like, 'okay, this works. I'm putting in the effort every single day, and I know that if I continue this path, like it will change.'"
As Korda detailed, the motivation she's found has led to her doubling down on her routine in order to keep putting herself in contention as many times as possible, especially at major championships.
"I only get one day off a week, and all the other six days, I'm constantly -- I'm waking up early. I'm going to the golf course. I'm working out. I'm getting treatment with Kim every single day from morning to night. When I get done, it's like 5:00, 6:00 p.m., and I'm making dinner and going to sleep early," Korda said. "All those days, you kind of sacrifice your time at home with your friends or with family, but it's just so worth it because there's no better rush of emotions than being in the hunt."
While Korda balks at the notion that she's the face of the women's game, there's little doubt that the biggest galleries at Riviera this week will be following her as she attempts to add to her major total and become only the third American woman to win four major championships since 2000.
