“We always make fun of the boys”: Nelly Korda brags about the women in her family excelling in Olympics
Nelly Korda is one of just three women in the history of the world to earn an Olympic gold medal for women's golf. However, she is not the only person in her family to represent the United States at the Olympics. The golfer's sister is also a pro golfer and has also been in the Olympics.
That's something her brothers don't have, even though one of them is an athlete as well. Korda's mom also made an appearance at the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games, so the women in her family have been to the pinnacle of athletic events, while none of the men have.
Korda was asked if her mom talks about it much:
"Sometimes. Not necessarily too much, no. We always make fun of the boys because the girls are the only ones that are the Olympians and the boys are not. My dad and my brother may or may not be. So we have that above them in the family."
Nelly Korda, who is a gold medalist and two-time Major champion in the sport of golf, is arguably the most decorated athlete in her family. That is a family that has plenty of good athletes, so it's an impressive feat for the world's number-one-ranked golfer.
Nelly Korda talks defending Olympic gold
Given that the Olympics are every four years, it's hard to remember who did what the last time out. This is true in golf where the field changes dramatically every time. One that hasn't changed is Nelly Korda's appearance. She won the gold medal at the previous Summer Games in Tokyo.
However, Korda said via the LPGA Tour that she doesn't really feel like she's defending anything this time around at the Paris Olympics:
“I'm just going to go out, enjoy the experience, hopefully enjoy the fans. The men had amazing fans out here. I was wowed by how many people are out here watching and just happy that I'm back in this position. I'm here representing my country. I'm a two-time Olympian and I'm living out my dream.”
The field is different, as is the venue. There's also the fact that the last iteration was three years ago (thanks to a one-year delay due to COVID-19), so it's not like defending a title in any other tournament.
Korda has had a bit of an up-and-down year. She dominated at the beginning, winning a historic six of eight starts including a Major. She then faltered, missing the cut a few times. Korda called golf a "funny game" and said:
“Sometimes you feel on top of the world and in a matter of a couple seconds, you just feel like you're on the bottom of the sea. So it definitely makes you appreciate the good golf that you play."
Nelly Korda also mentioned that golfers "have to have a mix of everything", but that it all can't go well at the same time.