The PGA Tour has been controlled by one man as of late: Scottie Scheffler.
The World No. 1 golfer had won four of his last five PGA Tour starts before his recent showing at the PGA Championship where he finished in the Top 8. But he finished that high despite literally spending the morning before Round 2 in a prison cell.
Scheffler's police debacle sparked a ton of social media foolery — with many joking that putting Scheffler in handcuffs, and bringing him to jail was the only way to stop him from winning the tournament.
But for all of Scheffler's success, he may not be the hottest golfer in the world right now. That title belongs to Nelly Korda, the World No. 1 golfer on the LPGA Tour, who has won six of her last seven starts.
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That stretch has included five wins in a row, topped off with a major championship win at the The Chevron Championship in April.
The 25-year-old's play has elevated her to another level in the LPGA, which has led to PGA Tour golfer Michael Kim suggesting that he believes Korda should get a shot at playing a game with the men on the PGA Tour.
Would be really cool to see Nelly get an exemption to a pgatour tournament
— Michael S. Kim (@Mike_kim714) May 19, 2024
Kim's suggestion isn't an outlandish one. Seven women have participated in the PGA Tour, with the most recent coming last year when Lexi Thompson took part in the Shriners Children's Open in Las Vegas in October.
Thompson, who has won 11 LPGA tournaments including one major, but struggled throughout last season, missed the cut by three strokes. Only one woman has been able to make the cut during their opportunities — that being Babe Zaharias, who did it twice all the way back in 1945.
But if anyone has a shot to make a name for the ladies on the PGA Tour, it's Korda.
She's already been a force for a while, claiming World No. 1 for the first time in June 2021 after claiming her first major. Soon after, she also won an Olympic gold medal. Korda's also showcased her mental fortitude as this year has been a resurgence from battling with a blood clot and back injuries in 2022 and 2023, respectively, that clearly hampered her play.
How Korda can play in the PGA Tour
In order for Korda to get a shot at entering a tournament with the men, she's going to need to receive a sponsor exemption similar to what Thompson received last year. Those are generally decided by the tournament directors — though there's often a ton of criteria to fill out for the sponsorship exemptions that includes prioritizing some of the top players with PGA Tour cards.
Kim believes there are a few tournaments that would work out for her, including the same tournament that Thompson participated in last year.
Yes, Nelly would make the cut at harbour town since it’s a signature no cut event lol
— Michael S. Kim (@Mike_kim714) May 19, 2024
Other than harbour town, Sony, Colonial, Vegas would be good spots for her
Colonial would be the Charles Schwab Challenge which is in the Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas this weekend. Korda is not in the line-up for that one. The other suggestions include The Sony Open in Hawaii, which was in January, and the RBC Heritage, which was in April, and is notable for being a tournament that does not have any cuts after two rounds.
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What shot does Korda have if she participated in a PGA Tour event?
Despite Korda's monumental accomplishments in the LPGA Tour as of late, she shouldn't be expected to compete at the top of a PGA Tour tournament should she be given the opportunity to participate. There is no guarantee she makes the cut.
Korda would tee off from the same distance as all of the men that weekend, which is inherently the biggest advantage of the men who simply swing harder. There are 73 men on the PGA Tour who averaged at least 300 yards on their drive in 2024, which is 22 yards more than anyone on the LPGA Tour.
The average driver distance from Korda in 2024 in 264 yards, which puts her at 25th among all LPGA Tour players.
But while driver distance helps players, it's not what wins tournaments. Scheffler ranks 73rd among all men on the PGA Tour in driver distance, per ESPN. Korda's all around game gives her a great chance to compete.
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What is the benefit of Korda participating?
Korda does not need to do this, of course. From a money standpoint, she's doing fine, winning nearly $3 million so far this year alone, and more than $11 million since her debut on the LPGA Tour in 2017. Making the cut on a PGA Tour wouldn't change her financial future.
But if she's given the chance to play, becoming just the second woman to make a PGA Tour cut and the first in the modern era would definitely be a feather in the cap of her legacy, especially considering that she's still in the early parts of her career.
She has already won 14 tournaments, which puts her at 23rd all-time in LPGA Tour wins. While she's got a long way to go from tying Annika Sörenstam's 71 LPGA Tour wins, this would be one way to immediately separate her from the pack.
More than her personal legacy, Korda making the cut would also provide great representation for women in the sport especially as women's sports continues to find its footing across all sports.
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