N. Korda making return at U.S. Women’s Open

Nelly Korda, who has been sidelined since March because of a blood clot in her left arm, will return to competitive golf at next week’s U.S. Women’s Open at Pine Needles in Southern Pines, North Carolina.

Korda, 23, made the announcement on Instagram on Friday, posting a photo of herself with her caddie, Jason McDede, and the comment, “See you guys @uswomensopen next week.”

She announced on April 8 that she had undergone surgery for a blood clot in her subclavian vein in her left arm.

“I am pleased to report the procedure went well and the doctors were happy with the outcome,” Korda wrote on Twitter. “I am now home recovering and preparing to start rehab. I am looking forward to getting back to 100% so I can begin practicing.”

Doctors diagnosed the blood clot in mid-March, after Korda experienced swelling in her arm after a workout in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. Korda also disclosed that she had COVID-19 in mid-January and that the illness “knocked me off my feet for some time before the beginning of the LPGA season.”

Korda last competed on the LPGA Tour on Feb. 3, finishing 15th at the LPGA Drive On Championship at Crown Colony. She finished in the top 20 in each of her three starts this season, including tied for fourth at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions.

A seven-time winner on the LPGA Tour, Korda was a gold medalist at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. She won four times last season, including capturing her first major title at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.

Earlier this year, Korda was ranked No. 1 in the Women’s World Golf Ranking for the 26th consecutive week and passed two-time major winner Stacy Lewis for the most time spent at world No. 1 by an American women’s golfer. She is currently ranked No. 2 behind South Korea’s Jin Young Ko.

Korda and her older sister, Jessica, are two of the LPGA’s most popular players. Nelly Korda has more than $6.2 million in career earnings.