Nelly Korda One Point From LPGA Hall of Fame After Player of the Year Win

Nelly Korda has done it again.

The world No. 1 locked up her second Rolex Player of the Year award on Tuesday.

She now sits just one point away from qualifying for the LPGA Hall of Fame.

The 28-year-old American earned 26 total Hall of Fame points with the award.

She needs 27 to qualify.

One more win in her next two starts would get her there.

Korda won four times in 2026.

Two of those wins were majors — The Chevron Championship in April and the U.S. Women's Open at Riviera in June.

That brings her career total to four major titles.

She won seven times in 2024 but went winless in 2025.

This season, she came back with a vengeance.

It started at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions in Orlando in February.

That event was cut to 54 holes because of bitter cold and wind.

Korda won anyway.

From there, she went on a tear.

She won or finished runner-up in six consecutive tournaments.

The streak finally ended with a tie for eighth.

Then she won the U.S. Women's Open at fabled Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles.

That was the major she had her eyes on all year.

It was the first time the tournament was held at Riviera.

Korda skipped the entire four-week Asia swing, as she often does.

That didn't stop her from wrapping up Player of the Year with three tournaments left on the schedule.

She did the same thing when she won the award in 2024.

The Player of the Year race ended early because of injuries and withdrawals.

Haeran Ryu of South Korea, a double major winner this year, withdrew from the Maybank Championship in Malaysia due to injury.

Miyu Yamashita of Japan and Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand did not enter The Annika next week in Florida.

That left them mathematically unable to catch Korda.

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

Ryu had 176 points.

Yamashita had 156.

Thitikul had 155.

The award gave Korda her 27th Hall of Fame point in the LPGA system.

But here's the catch — she actually sits at 26 points toward qualification.

Here's how the LPGA Hall of Fame points system works.

Players earn one point for each official LPGA tournament win.

They earn one point for each Vare Trophy (lowest scoring average for a season).

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

They earn two points for each major championship victory.

They earn one point for an Olympic gold medal.

Players need 27 points to qualify.

They 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 cannot earn the Vare Trophy point this year despite a 69.38 scoring average.

She doesn't meet the minimum requirement of 70 rounds played.

So her only chance to get point 27 is to win one of the next two events.

Both are in Florida.

First up is The Annika driven by Gainbridge at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair.

That tournament starts next week.

Then comes the CME Group Tour Championship at Tiburon Golf Club in Naples.

That's the season finale later this month.

Korda plans to play both.

Suddenly, those two tournaments carry enormous weight.

One win, and she's in the Hall of Fame.

She would not be the youngest player to qualify.

Inbee Park reached the requirements when she was 27.

Park was also a finalist this year for the World Golf Hall of Fame.

That's a separate hall from the LPGA's points-based system.

The World Golf Hall of Fame is voter-based, with players and contributors from around the world selected by a panel of administrators, Hall of Fame members, and media.

The LPGA Hall of Fame is purely points-based.

Lydia Ko was the most recent player to qualify.

She did it in 2024 after winning gold at the Paris Olympics.

Ko became the 35th player to earn enough LPGA Hall of Fame points.

Korda would be the 36th.

Here's a look at current active players with at least 15 LPGA Hall of Fame points.

Nelly Korda: 26 points.

Yani Tseng: 23 points.

Jin Young Ko: 20 points.

Stacy Lewis: 19 points.

Ariya Jutanugarn: 17 points.

Brooke Henderson: 16 points.

Korda is 19-time winner on the LPGA Tour.

She has four major titles.