Nelly Korda reveals embarrassing circumstances surrounding first win

Nelly Korda is one of the biggest names in women’s golf. Since turning pro in 2016, she’s won 13 times worldwide — including a major victory and gold medal in 2021.

Now ranked No. 5 in the Rolex Rankings, Korda is still one of the top players in the game. And although she’s just 25 years old, she’s among the most accomplished and well-recognized players in the women’s game.

Korda wasn’t always a superstar, though. Fifteen years ago, back in her childhood, Korda was just a kid. Sure, she was a heck of a golfer back then, but deep down she was just like the rest of her young peers.

And just like most of us, she too has her fair share of embarrassing moments from her youth. One instance in particular coincided with her first tournament win.

nelly korda hits chip
Nelly Korda reveals habit she can’t kick: ‘I’ve been told that I need to stop’
By: Zephyr Melton

As Korda explained in the latest episode of The Scoop with Claire Rogers, her first win came when she was just 9 years old in a tournament in the Czech Republic. Her family was staying with some friends in the area at the time — and there happened to be a peach tree in the backyard.

“I was just downing peaches because they were so good,” Korda said. “It was just a beautiful summer’s day and I was just picking the peaches off of the tree.”

When it came time to play golf, though, Korda’s nerves kicked in. The butterflies were so bad that she started vomiting on the range as she was prepping for her round.

“I started puking up all the peaches,” Korda said. “I had a bucket on the range and I was just puking into the bucket before my first tee shot. I was so nervous.”

Luckily for her, the pre-round hurling didn’t seem to affect her golf game too much as she went on to play well enough to claim her first trophy.

You can check out the entire episode of The Scoop below.

Zephyr Melton

Golf.com Editor

Zephyr Melton is an assistant editor for GOLF.com where he spends his days blogging, producing and editing. Prior to joining the team at GOLF, he attended the University of Texas followed by stops with the Texas Golf Association, Team USA, the Green Bay Packers and the PGA Tour. He assists on all things instruction and covers amateur and women’s golf. He can be reached at zephyr_melton@golf.com.