Nelly Korda wins after LPGA controversially reduces TOC to 54 holesJosh Schrock
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, the World No. 2 who went winless 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 a delayed start to the final round, the LPGA eventually decided to shorten the TOC due to a lack of an “optimal competitive environment for a professional event.” The Orlando area has been hit by sub-freezing temperatures all week, and play was suspended Saturday due to high winds.
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The LPGA made the call to shorten the event around noon E.T. on Sunday, saying the eight players who did not complete all three rounds would resume play to finish their third round and then the tournament would be called.
“Play will continue with Lake Nona becoming playable in competitive condition at its peak temperature, but conditions will deteriorate later today and tomorrow, making it difficult to complete 72 holes,” the LPGA said in a statement.
The LPGA’s decision to shorten the tournament to 54 holes, instead of playing Sunday or postponing to a Monday or Tuesday finish, leaves a lot of questions.
While the pros had their tournament cut to 54 holes, the celebrities who played in the pro-am portion 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.
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“I don’t know why they’re not playing,” Sorenstam told Golfweek’s Beth Ann Nichols on Sunday. “There’s pitch marks. I mean, I hit some crispy shots today and the ball even stopped. I am surprised. It’s difficult, it’s cold but it’s as fair as anything. I told J.R. we can continue.”
According to Nichols, an LPGA official said the celebrities were allowed to compete on Sunday because they are playing in “an exhibition,” despite there being a purse for the amateur part of the competition.
When Golf Channel’s Amy Rogers pressed an LPGA official for specifics on how the cold weather was “affecting the golf ball and course,” the official could not provide specifics.
Temperatures in Orlando on Sunday and Monday were forecast to be 24 and 26 degrees, respectively. But the forecast didn’t call for anymore high winds, which halted play on Saturday, and Monday is expected to have a high of 53 degrees.
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The LPGA does not play again until Feb. 19 in Thailand. Korda isn’t expected to play again until Mid-March, meaning it will be over a month before fans watch her hit another shot. Given the time between the first two tournaments of the season, the LPGA’s decision to cut the Tournament of Champions to 54 holes seems, at the very least, premature. A Monday or Tuesday finish (a high of 63 is expected) likely would have been welcomed by the players.
“I’m gutted that we don’t get to 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’s season got off to, at best, an awkward start at Lake Nona.
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Nelly Korda won but did so while on the driving range, as the league shortened the tournament while the greatest player ever was on the course calling it “playable.” With 18 days in between tournaments and their biggest draw leading, the LPGA would have been smart to find a way to get the final round in.
Korda’s Saturday 64 was an impressive round. According to Golf Channel’s Grant Boone, Korda beat the field scoring average by nine strokes. But she also went off more than an hour before the leaders, getting the benefit of a better weather draw. Everyone, from the fans to the LPGA to Nelly Korda, would have benefited from watching the game’s biggest star battle tough, but playable elements, to try to snap her winless drought.
Instead, the LPGA’s season started with 54 holes, a Nelly Korda win, the term “optimal competitive environment” and a lot of questions.
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