Nelly Korda teases her father's nerves at the PNC Championship: "I hope he appreciates his good shots"
Nelly Korda will play in the 2024 PNC Championship starting on Saturday, December 21. As has been the case every time she has played in the event, the world number one will have her father, Petr Korda, as her teammate.
Competing at the highest level is nothing new for Petr Korda, who won two Grand Slam tournaments during his professional tennis career. However, when he competes in the PNC Championship, his nerves seemingly come to the surface, which Nelly finds "funny."
Speaking to the press covering the event, Nelly said:
"I hope he appreciates his good shots... It's funny to see him handle the nerves, especially on the first tee, where he has all the people on the left." [0:23 - 0:32]
Nelly Korda also assured that her father's nerves usually paved the way for his competitive side. That was part of what she said:
"Once he hits a few shots, and the nerves kind of settle a little, he kind of gets into a groove, but...you know, he hasn't played since, you know, competitively, tennis, since he was 30, 31, so, it's nice to see his competitive juices going and the adrenaline...it's nice to see that different side for him too." [0:40 - 0:55]
Petr Korda played professional tennis between 1987 and 2005, although with some interruptions. During his career, he won one Grand Slam tournament in singles (the 1998 Australian Open) and one in doubles (the 1996 Australian Open). He won 10 singles tournaments and another 10 doubles tournaments.
A look at Nelly Korda and her father's history at the PNC Championship
Nelly Korda was first invited to play in the PNC Championship in 2021, the same year she won her first major championship (Women's PGA Championship). Nelly was also the second female professional to be invited to the event after Annika Sorenstam two years earlier.
Since that first experience, Nelly has never missed the event, always with her father as her teammate. In their debut at the PNC Championship, Team Korda finished 12th at 17-under, 10 strokes behind the winners, John Daly and his son.
A year later, Nelly and Petr Korda returned and improved their position significantly. This time they finished in a tie for 5th place with a score of 21 under, just five strokes behind the event champions, Vijay Singh and his son.
Last year, Team Korda finished in a tie for 13th place with a score of 14 under, 11 shots behind the winners, Bernhard Langer and his son.
Team Korda will play the first round of the PNC Championship in the same group as Team Couples (Fred and stepson Hunter Hannemann). Their tee time is 10:31 a.m. Eastern Time.