In Tuesday’s press conference for the Ford Championship, Nelly and Jessica Korda were enjoying being together again. It’s been nearly three years since the sisters last teed it up in the same LPGA event, and they were practically finishing each other’s sentences.
When Jessica, a six-time LPGA winner, last competed in 2023, she was managing a painful back injury before stepping away to become a mom. The following season, Nelly won nearly half the events she entered. Now a full-time mom, Jessica, 33, practices only a few days a week, and her back still flares up. Nelly, 27, is the No. 2 player in the world and already has a win this year. Different paths, same destination: back together at the podium in the LPGA media center.
The sisters are idols to 23-year-old Kate Villegas, one of two Monday qualifiers this week. While the Kordas held court, Villegas was playing her first practice round at Whirlwind’s Cattail course.
“I’m trying not to fangirl too much,” Villegas said with a laugh. “It’s pretty cool.”
Two LPGA players invited her to join their practice round Tuesday—welcoming, helpful, everything you’d hope for. Still, Villegas’ dream grouping? Both Korda sisters. First, she has to make the weekend. Monday was step one.
Villegas made nine birdies in the Monday qualifier at Whirlwind’s Devil’s Claw, running away from the field. Her swing is smooth and powerful—Korda-like—and it’s easy to see how she can go so low. She successfully Monday qualified near her hometown of Arcadia, Calif., last year for the JM Eagle LA Championship. Villegas played well and made her hometown proud but missed the cut by two.
That season proved tougher and more expensive than she expected. She made just five Epson Tour cuts, with a best finish of T22.
“I didn’t know it was going to be this hard,” she said. “Losing status on Epson put me in a different gear—I really want this. I’m going to work harder and reach my goals.”
Villegas didn’t even expect to get into this qualifier. She was the fourth alternate and had just returned home from two Florida mini-tour events. When the call came, she and her mom jumped in the car and drove to the desert.
During her practice round at Devil’s Claw, the ball seemed to hang a little longer in the hot air. She drove it well and left the course feeling confident.
Her mom was nervous Monday morning—as usual. Kate wasn’t.
“I was like, ‘I’m good. I actually feel so good right now.’ I had this gut feeling I was going to do it. My mindset was: let’s try to birdie every hole, take it one shot at a time, and not dwell on bad shots.”
Everything clicked. She cruised through 15 holes in seven-under before her ball settled into a divot near the par-3 7th green—her 16th hole of the day. She took her putter, the safest option, and rolled it to eight feet.
“I was a bit nervous over that, but I made it.”
The save sparked a birdie-birdie finish. She signed for 63—three shots clear of the field.
The next day in the media center, the Korda sisters described the difference between players fighting to keep status and the world’s best.
“Knowing who you are,” Nelly said. “At the end of the day, it’s about comfort—not comparing yourself to others and sticking to a routine that works.”
“I always tell rookies: don’t change, especially in your first year,” Jessica added. “There’s a reason you got out here. You’re good enough.”
Villegas could write those words in her yardage book. The Kordas might as well have been speaking directly to her.
An accomplished junior, Villegas chose not to attend a golf-focused private school, opting instead for a more traditional high school experience. She jokes now that she might have benefited from more short-game work—but she always knew what she wanted.
Many rookies burn out quickly, Jessica said, caught up in the excitement of making it. That challenge is even greater for a Monday qualifier like Villegas—who battled desert heat Monday, learned the course Tuesday, fine-tuned Wednesday, and now faces the grind of tournament play. By Thursday, many are already exhausted, whether they realize it or not.
The question is whether she can recreate Monday’s feeling when it matters most.
“I’m focusing on myself and reminding myself that I’m a great player,” she said. “I deserve to be here.”
Villegas nearly made the cut in her LPGA debut last year. A weekend tee time would be a meaningful step—and a realistic one.
Who knows—maybe she’ll get to play with her idols sooner than she thinks.
