Nelly Korda one point from LPGA Hall of Fame after Player of the Year win

Nelly Korda is one point away from qualifying for the LPGA Hall of Fame after being named the 2026 Rolex Player of the Year on Tuesday night.

The 28-year-old world No. 1 earned her second Player of the Year award in three years, joining an elite group of multiple-time winners.

The award gave Korda her 26th point in the LPGA’s points-based Hall of Fame system.

It takes 27 points to qualify.

Korda won four times in 2026, including two major championships.

She took the first major of the season at The Chevron Championship in Houston in April.

Then she won the U.S. Women’s Open at Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles in June — her fourth career major title.

Her season opened with a victory at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions in Orlando, a 54-hole event shortened by weather.

That win pushed her Hall of Fame point total to 20.

She went on to post six consecutive top-two finishes, including wins and runner-ups, before a tie for eighth ended the streak.

Korda wrapped up the Player of the Year race with three tournaments still on the schedule.

Haeran Ryu of South Korea, a two-time major winner, withdrew from the Maybank Championship in Malaysia due to injury and could not catch Korda.

Miyu Yamashita of Japan and Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand did not enter The Annika, making it mathematically impossible for them to pass Korda in points.

Korda finished the season with 239 Player of the Year points.

Ryu had 176. Yamashita had 156. Thitikul had 155.

The LPGA Hall of Fame is separate from the World Golf Hall of Fame.

The LPGA version is strictly points-based.

The World Golf Hall of Fame uses a voting panel of administrators, Hall of Fame members and media.

Players earn one point for each official LPGA tournament win.

They earn one point for each Vare Trophy, awarded for the season’s lowest scoring average.

They earn one point for each Rolex Player of the Year award.

Major championships are worth two points.

Olympic gold medals are worth one point.

Korda won a gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which counts toward her total.

To qualify for the LPGA Hall of Fame, a player must also have won or been awarded at least one of the following: an LPGA major, the Vare Trophy or Rolex Player of the Year honors.

Korda has all three.

She has four majors, two Player of the Year awards, and has won the Vare Trophy previously.

The most recent player to qualify for the LPGA Hall of Fame was Lydia Ko in 2024.

Ko earned her 27th point when she won the gold medal at the Paris Olympics, becoming the 35th player to reach the milestone.

Korda is now the active leader in Hall of Fame points among current LPGA players.

Yani Tseng has 23 points.

Jin Young Ko has 20 points.

Stacy Lewis has 19 points.

Ariya Jutanugarn has 17 points.

Brooke Henderson has 16 points.

Korda has 19 career LPGA wins, including four majors.

She won seven times in 2024 but did not win in 2025, making her 2026 comeback especially notable.

“I think it’s an amazing accomplishment,” Korda said of her Hall of Fame prospects.

“It would be one of the best achievements of my career for sure.”

Korda will have two more chances to earn the final point this season.

She is scheduled to play The Annika, driven by Gainbridge at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Florida, starting next week.

Then she will play the CME Group Tour Championship at Tiburon Golf Club in Naples, Florida, later in November.

A win in either event would give her the 27th point she needs.

However, one traditional path to a point is closed to her this year.

Korda posted a scoring average of 69.38 for the 2026 season, which would normally contend for the Vare Trophy.