In Pictures: LPGA star Nelly Korda gets a new tattoo along with her caddie, Jason McDede
Superstar golfer Nelly Korda has gotten a brand new tattoo from Michell Santana. She and her caddie Jason McDede went to get inked following the end of their impressive win streak.
Nelly Korda got a lion tattooed on her wrist while McDede got the name Benton David tattooed on his wrist as well.
They aren't matching tattoos, but this was another chance for the duo to bond. They have been unfathomably successful in 2024, though the streak did come to a close.
A 2021 article from the LPGA Tour compared her to a lion that shouldn't be angered. Her father, a tennis professional, knew that:
“When I used to play against my dad when I was younger, he would always try to piss me off because he always said that I step it up a notch when I'm pissed," Korda revealed.
It's unclear what the lion specifically means to her or if it connects to the comparison to a lion.
Nelly Korda's caddie Jason McDede once had an awkward tournament
Jason McDede has been on the bag for Nelly Korda for six years. The LPGA Tour star has burst onto the scene since then, but she had some wins in the earlier days. One of those wins ended up being a rather awkward one for McDede.
McDede is now married to another golfer, Caroline Masson. She was in the field alongside Korda at the Swinging Skirts LPGA Taiwan, and the end was very hotly contested. Korda was cruising until she wasn't.
Bogeys on the 14th, 15th and 17th dropped her score to 17-under, which allowed Masson and Minjee Lee to tie it up and force a playoff. So McDede had to coach his golfer to win a playoff against his then-fiance.
Korda birdied the first playoff hole, giving herself the third victory she'd had since hiring McDede. Fortunately for the caddie, it was not a long playoff that drew out what was undoubtedly a stressful moment for him.
Korda said via Golf Monthly:
“Yeah, Jason is engaged to Caroline, but at the end of the day, he is on my team and I am the one signing his paycheck. Caroline is a great person, and she played amazing golf today. You know, it was kind of difficult for him... But I wouldn’t be where I am without Jason, and he made sure that he kept me in the game.”
Since then, it's been relatively successful for the pairing. Nelly Korda won five starts in a row, including a Major tournament, before she dropped one on tour. She was tied for seventh in the Cognizant Founders Cup last weekend, missing a chance to be the only golfer to have won six consecutive starts.