Nelly Korda wins controversially shortened LPGA season opener

Nelly Korda is back in the winner’s circle, although not in the way she or the LPGA envisioned to start the 2026 season.

Korda, World No. 2 undefeated in 2025, won the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions after the LPGA shortened the season-opening event at Lake Nona to 54 holes. Despite initially planning to delay the start of the final round, the LPGA ultimately decided to shorten the TOC due to the lack of a “suitable competitive venue for a professional event.” The Orlando area has been hit with snow all week, and Saturday’s game was suspended due to high winds.

The LPGA called for the event to be shortened at noon ET on Sunday, saying the eight players who did not complete all three rounds would play again to complete their third round and the tournament would be called.

“Play will continue with Lake Nona playing well as the temperature is high, but conditions will deteriorate later today and tomorrow, making it difficult to complete the 72 holes,” the LPGA said in a statement.

The LPGA’s decision to reduce the tournament to 54 holes, instead of playing on Sunday or postponing the end to Monday or Tuesday, leaves many questions.

While the players competed in 54 holes, the celebrities playing in the pro-am division played nine holes on Sunday. The decision left Lake Nona resident and LPGA legend Annika Sorenstam, who played as a celebrity in the tournament, perplexed.

“I don’t know why they’re not playing,” Sorenstam told Golfweek’s Beth Ann Nichols on Sunday. “There are pitch marks. I mean, I hit hard shots today and the ball broke. I’m surprised. It’s hard, it’s cold, but it’s not good. I told JR to continue.”

According to Nichols, an LPGA official said the celebrities were allowed to compete on Sunday because they were playing “for show,” even though there was a purse for part of the tournament.

When Golf Channel’s Amy Rogers pressed an LPGA official for details on how the cold weather is “affecting the golf ball and the course,” the official was unable to provide details.

Temperatures in Orlando on Sunday and Monday are predicted to be 24 and 26 degrees, respectively. But the forecast no longer calls for strong winds, which stopped play on Saturday, and Monday is expected to have a high of 53 degrees.

The LPGA doesn’t play again until Feb. 19 in Thailand. Korda isn’t expected to play again until mid-March, meaning it will be a month before fans get to see him hit another shot. Given the time between the first two tournaments of the season, the LPGA’s decision to cut the Championship to 54 holes seems, to say the least, premature. A finish on Monday or Tuesday (expected a maximum of 63) would probably have been welcomed by the players.

“I’m glad we can’t play tomorrow,” Lydia Ko told Nichols.

Danielle Kang posted on Instagram on Sunday, asking for fans’ opinions on the decision to shorten the tournament.

After months of positive momentum under new commissioner Craig Kessler, the LPGA season got off to a rocky start at Lake Nona.

Nelly Korda won but did so while in the driving range, as the league shortened the tournament while the greatest player to ever grace the course called it “playable.” With 18 days between tournaments and many draws in their prime, the LPGA would be wise to find a way into the final round.

Korda’s 64 Saturday was an incredible round. According to Grant Boone of the Golf Channel, Korda beat the field by nine strokes. But he again left more than an hour ahead of the leaders, receiving help from better weather. Everyone, from the fans to the LPGA to Nelly Korda, would have benefited from watching the game’s biggest, yet playable, stars battle to try and end their winless drought.

Instead, the LPGA season started with 54 holes, Nelly Korda’s win, the name “proper competition area” and many questions.