Nelly and Xander won Olympic gold. Now they want something more

THE NIGHT THAT NELLY KORDA reclaimed the title of World No. 1, she celebrated in unlikely, unglamorous fashion: with a drive across the desert. Korda had just won the Seri Pak Championship in L.A. but had previously agreed to road-trip to the following week’s LPGA tour stop in Gilbert, Ariz., with fellow pro Olivia Cowan. So after the trophy ceremony, off they went. Victory dinner was a burger at In-N-Out — side of fries, Animal-Style — and the six-hour odyssey continued. “Huge mistake,” Korda says, thinking back on that night. “The adrenaline wore off, we got there at, like, 11:30 and my whole body was just aching.” Korda frequently references the mental and physical toll of being in contention. She frequently references just how much she loves being in contention, too. This year? For a while, she was in contention every time she teed it up. Korda worked her way into the mix at that week’s Ford Championship, then shot Sunday’s lowest score, a seven-under 65, in tough conditions to rally to the win. It was her third in three starts. Her lead at World No. 1 had widened. And Korda would celebrate the win in the same way: with a drive across the desert. The next week’s event was in Las Vegas, so she headed north, this time alone. In-N-Out was closed for Easter Sunday, but she’d saved an almond croissant for the occasion. One more road snack — “I picked up some corn nuts and had myself a nice meal,” she says — and she was ready to roll. There’s a much more glamorous side to Korda’s place in the cultural landscape. She’s the face of women’s golf, a generational talent with a picture-perfect swing. She has blue-chip endorsement deals with the likes of Nike, Delta and Goldman Sachs. She shared the red carpet with global A-listers at this spring’s Met Gala. Opportunities and invitations have stacked up almost as fast as her first-place finishes. But she’s most comfortable prepping for the next one, alone at home on the range. And when she wins?