Jessica Korda was born on February 27, 1993 in Bradenton, Florida. She began playing golf at the age of
eight and credits her parents, retired tennis players Petr Korda and Regina Rajchrtova, as her primary
motivators in her career.
As an amateur, Korda represented the Czech Republic at the 2006 World Amateur Team Championship.
She made the cut at the 2008 and 2009 U.S. Women’s Opens, finishing tied for 19th and tied for 26th ,
respectively. Korda also was a member of the 2009 U.S. Junior Solheim Cup team and the 2010 USA
Curtis Cup team. He established amateur career included a runner-up at the 2010 U.S. Women’s
Amateur Championship and a victory at the 2010 South Atlantic Amateur Championship. Korda once
again was a part of the World Amateur Team Championship in 2010, finishing tied for 4th representing
the United States.
Clearly ready to take her game to the professional ranks, Korda finished second in the LPGA Tour final
Qualifying Tournament, earning full LPGA membership privileges for the 2011 season. Korda turned 18
years old early in 2011 and appeared in 15 events for the season. Her best finish during her rookie
campaign was a tie for 19th at the Avnet LPGA Classic. Korda also tied for 45 th at the HSBC Women’s
Championships and tied for 51st at the Honda LPGA Thailand. She struggled in three majors, missing two
cuts.
Korda earned her first LPGA victory in the first event of the 2012 season, winning the ISPA Handa
Women’s Australian Open in an exciting sudden-death playoff involving six players. Korda made two
cuts in four majors, with a tied for 39th at the U.S. Women’s Open. She made 16 cuts in 20 events for the
season, finishing 41st on the money list at just under $340,000.
Korda did not win in 2013, but made a change in her career by firing caddy Jason Gilroyed middle of the
third round of the U.S. Women’s Open in which she finished tied for 7 th , which was her first top ten in a
major championship. For the season, Korda made cuts in all 21 events she entered and finished 25 th on
the money list at a shade under $600,000. Korda recorded six top ten finishes and made her first
Solheim Cup Team, posting a 1-2-1 record.
The 2014 season was a breakthrough for Korda, winning two times, at the Pure Silk Bahamas LPGA
Classic by one stroke over Stacy Lewis and the Airbus LPGA Classic. In addition, she posted her best
finish in a major, tied for 5th at the Women’s British Open. Korda finished 10 th for Rolex Player of the
Year, record six top ten finishes, and 16th in the money list with $817,885.
Although Korda won at the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia, 2015 was somewhat of a struggle for her. She
missed the cut in all five majors and seven time in 24 events. She dropped to 27th on the money list at
just over $590,000. Although missing the cut in two of the five majors in 2016, Korda improved to 24th
on the money list at $692,803 and had five top-ten finishes. Korda’s second-place showing at the Blue
Bay LPGA increased her career earnings to over $3 million. Showing she can go low, Korda posted three
rounds of 64, tying her career-low.
Korda had a very solid 2017 season, missing only two cuts in 21 events. Although she didn’t record a
win, she finished in the top 20 in two of the five major championships and earned over $700,000, good
for 26th on the money list. Korda made her second Solheim Cup team but was forced to withdraw due to
a wrist injury. However, she finished the season strong with two top three finishes.
In 2018, Korda carried over her hot play, winning the Honda LPGA Thailand bye four shots over Moriya
Jutanugarn and Lexi Thompson for her first win since the 2015 season. In the event, she posted a career
low round of 62 and surpassed the $4 plateau in career earnings. Korda was in contention in three
majors, finishing in the top ten in the ANA Inspiration, the Women’s PGA Championship and The Evian
Championship. Korda finished the season just shy of $900,000 and was 18th on the money list.
In 2019, Korda recorded six top ten finishes in only 18 events, two of them at the ANA Inspiration and
U.S. Women’s Open. Her best finishes were seconds at the Bank of Hope Founders Cup and Buick LPGA
Shanghai. Korda was excellent for the U.S. Solheim Cup Team, posting a record of 4-2-2 and finished the
season with just under $875,000 in earnings.
During the 2020 season, Korda made 11 cuts in 13 events. She made the cut in two of three major
tournaments with her best finish a tie for 23 rd at the U.S. Women’s Open. She had a surprise opening
the event when her brother Sebastian, who is a professional tennis player, introduced her and her sister
Nelly on the first tee. Korda finished the season with six-under par round of 66 at the CME Group
Championship to finish in a tie for 30th .
Outside of playing, Korda is a contributor to Golf Digest, providing golf tips and drills, with videos readily
available on Twitter. In an interview with her sister Nelly with Golf Digest, the sisters were asked various
questions, giving an insight to their lives that most of us don’t know. Korda indicated she would have a
job in marketing or as an agent if she wasn’t a professional golfer. A big fan of the television show
Friends, Korda would love Jennifer Aniston playing her in a movie of her life.
Now that the golf is in the off season, Korda enjoys spending her days with her dog Charlie and simply
relaxing outside to a good book. If she is in the mood for some music, there isn’t a genre that doesn't
strike her fancy. Whether it’s pop, rock, country, or even classical, it’s all music to Korda’s ears. Her role
models include Tiger Woods and Lindsey Vonn.
What did Korda do with her winnings from her first career LPGA victory? She splurged for a Gucci bag,
that she keeps filled with tissues to maintain its form. For her numerous fans, the best place to follower
her is on Instagram.
Korda is currently 23rd in the Rolex Rankings and has 39 top ten finishes and five career LPGA victories.
With $5.8 million in career earnings, she is nearly certain to surpass the $6 million mark in 2021.
Stay tuned for our next Featured Player!
