Nelly Korda signs for TaylorMade & Nike
TaylorMade Golf and women’s world No.2 Nelly Korda have agreed to a multi-year partnership beginning at this week’s Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions in Florida.
Korda, 24, an eight-time LPGA Tour winner, a major champion and Olympic gold medalist, will play a full bag of TaylorMade clubs and play with the brand’s TP5 golf ball.
Speaking about the latest signing to TaylorMade’s tour staff, David Abeles, TaylorMade Golf President & CEO, commented: “The captivating talent and unparalleled drive to win Nelly possesses makes us proud to have her join Team TaylorMade. Nelly sets a standard of excellence that we are motivated to match by putting the highest performing equipment possible in her hands each week she competes. We are looking forward to working with Nelly towards accomplishing her goal of more major championships and victories on the LPGA Tour in the years to come.”
With testing still ongoing this week will see Korda gaming TaylorMade’s new Stealth 2 HD driver and fairway woods, a mixture of P·770 and P·7MC irons, and the company’s Milled Grind 3 wedges (50°, 54°) and a TP5 ball.
Korda, who won the Women’s PGA Championship in 2021, said: “I signed with TaylorMade because of their proven ability to elevate the game of the best golfers in the world. In testing with the TaylorMade Tour Team, it was clear that not only was I working with high performing equipment, but also a team that shared my passion for working as hard as possible to be in the best position to win. I’m thrilled to be a part of Team TaylorMade.”
Korda’s consistent delivery and desired draw shot shape made the Stealth 2 HD driver a perfect pair as she noted liking the look and feel of the draw bias head. In her irons, the 2023 P·770’s gave Korda added height to be able to hold greens from the 180-yard range, while in shorter irons the 2023 P·7MC’s provide the dispersion and distance control she was looking for. After testing the TP5x and TP5 golf balls, Korda decided on TP5 as she was able to maintain a desired trajectory with softer feel and more spin around the greens.
Nelly has also signed a multi-year apparel deal with Nike Golf. This is perhaps the brand’s biggest women’s golf partnership since Michelle Wie signed a four-year $20 million deal as a 15-year-old sensation. Although Wie has stepped away from the professional game, she is still a Nike athlete to this day.
Korda made her apparel deal official on Saturday with a social media post confirming a multi-year agreement with Nike Golf, putting an end to her partnership with Swedish clothing company J.Lindeberg. Nike Golf exited the hard-goods space in 2016, but they remain a major force in the equipment apparel space on Tour with staff that features Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Tony Finau, Brooks Koepka and Jason Day.