Time slows down. The club feels weightless in her hands. Every shot lands exactly where intended, and even mishits somehow find their way. It’s as if the golf ball obeys an invisible command, dancing along perfect lines that only the player can see. This is the elusive “flow state” – a magical zone where athletes perform at their peak without conscious effort.
For Nelly Korda, this mystical state of mind became a powerful ally during her historic 2024 season. It’s like being “in your own little bubble,” as she describes it. Yet as she returns to Shadow Creek to defend her T-Mobile Match Play title, she knows the danger that lies in chasing that feeling too eagerly. The world’s top-ranked player must now wage a mental battle between embracing success and staying grounded.
Despite battling a neck injury that forced her to miss tournaments and facing a summer slump, Korda’s flow state carried her to historic heights. “The people in my life make me feel like the luckiest person in the world,” she reflected on her journey. Her ability to find this mental zone helped her reclaim the World No. 1 ranking and maintain it throughout most of the year.
The T-Mobile Match Play stood out as the third win in that incredible streak. After barely making the match play portion, she found her groove at exactly the right moment. This perfect timing allowed her to dominate the competition, including a decisive 4&3 victory over Leona Maguire in the final match.
But golf’s cruel nature never stays hidden for long. Even during her dominant 2024 campaign, Korda experienced the opposite of flow. The sport’s unpredictable nature showed itself when she faced a brutal stretch of missed cuts mid-season, including shocking scores at major championships. These dramatic highs and lows have shaped her current mindset.
“I’ve also been on the other side of that where at the beginning of the year everything was flowing and middle of the year nothing was going my way,” Korda admitted. This roller-coaster journey taught her a valuable lesson about mental preparation. The experience transformed her, and she now approaches competition with equal confidence and humility.
The defending champion’s current mindset reflects hard-earned wisdom. “You kind of just have to appreciate when you are in that flow state but can’t get too comfortable,” she emphasized. “If you get comfortable, I mean, it’s golf. It’s going to humble you really fast.” This delicate balancing act didn’t come easily for Korda. She learned it through triumph and heartbreak, with each experience molding her approach to the mental game.
How past struggles shaped Nelly Korda’s mental approach
Korda’s journey through these mental extremes began spectacularly last season. From March to April 2024, everything clicked perfectly. She tied Nancy Lopez’s LPGA record with five consecutive victories and set a new standard for consistency.
Then came the collapse. During the U.S. Women’s Open, she shot a shocking 10-over-par 80 in the opening round. This included a nightmare 10 on a par-3 where she found water thrice. It was a stark reminder of golf’s unforgiving nature, even for the world’s best