Olympic Golf Champions Nelly Korda and Xander Schauffele On Course For Paris 2024 After Duel Victories

World No. 1 Nelly Korda and her fellow Tokyo 2020 Olympic gold medalist Xander Schauffele scored impressive victories within a short timeframe, both celebrating satisfying wins on Sunday, May 19.

Korda continued her remarkable, record-setting pace, attaining a sixth victory over her last seven tournaments. Schauffele captured an elusive first major title.

Korda won by one stroke in a tight battle over fellow Tokyo 2020 Olympian Hannah Green at the Mizuho Americas Open, played at Liberty National Golf Club in New Jersey. Schauffele was also victorious by one shot, holding off fearsome hitter Bryson DeChambeau at the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club, in Louisville, Kentucky.

Their success, and especially Korda’s astounding form, bodes well as they both seek to defend Olympic gold medals at Golf National, southwest of Paris, in just over two months at the Olympic Games Paris 2024.

Schauffele sunk a six-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole that dramatically lipped around the cup before falling. It was an emotional triumph.

“This is awesome – super sweet,” Schauffele said succintly, shortly after victory at Valhalla. “When I break it down, I’m really proud how I handled certain moments on the course today, different than in the past.”

Schauffele, 30, was asked what it will mean to arrive at the Olympic tournament in Paris, having finally been crowned a major champion.

“It’s just a cherry on top – it’s totally separate to competing at an Olympics,” said the San Diego golf pro. “It definitely helps with the qualifying process. That was my goal, obviously, to qualify.  The U.S. team is a strong one. It’s a hard one to qualify for. I imagine this win probably secures me into qualifying for the Olympics.”

Schauffele currently ranks world No. 2 on the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR), only behind fellow American Scottie Scheffler. On his website homepage, Schauffele can be seen smiling and proudly holding his Olympic gold medal.

“It’s a whole different ballgame winning that one (the Olympics), but I definitely will be able to pull some confidence from this one (PGA Championship),” Schauffele said.

Korda, 25, was asked about her phenomenal play.

“It’s a lot of fun – for me it’s more rewarding with all of the hard work that I’ve put in, the roller coaster that I went through from the end of 2021 with my injuries to this year, is just super rewarding,” Korda said. 

She commended her tight-knit team, which includes her parents, Petr and Regina, both of whom were professional tennis players. Her older sister, Jessica Korda, is a fellow Olympian – she darted out to congratulate Nelly on the 18th green at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. 

Korda’s dominance might be attributed to her laser focus one tournament at a time. Despite being the hottest player in the world, Korda hasn’t yet elaborated about defending her Olympic title as Paris beckons. Still, she expressed the emotions that she will feel as a two-time Olympian.

“Any time I get to represent the Red, White and Blue, it’s a huge honor,” Korda recently told LPGA.com. “That would be another thing I would be extremely grateful for.”

Her recent tear of victories all but assures Korda a place on the 2024 U.S Olympic Team in Paris.

After winning Olympic gold in Japan, Korda missed four months following emergency surgery for a blood clot discovered in her arm after a routine practice day in March 2022. She recovered and returned to the tour in July. The 2024 season has eclipsed 2021, as her best ever.

The Bradenton, Florida, golfer has now won 14 professional tournaments, including two major titles. Schauffele has recorded 13 professional victories and one Major, after this past weekend’s success.

While Korda’s game has been celebrated frequently, Schauffele has often been criticized for his inability to win one of professional golf’s four major tournaments. Following his Olympic triumph, Schauffele finished outside of the top 10 at eight consecutive majors until the 2024 season. 

He persevered and believed in himself despite the noise. 

“Definitely was a chip on the shoulder there,” Schauffele said. “It’s just been fuel to my fire leading up to this.”

Both Schaffele and Korda give enormous credit to their parents and tight-knit teams for their golfing success.

Schauffele shared an emotional phone conversation with his father, Stefan, who was moved to tears, just before his son walked onto the 18th green at Valhalla.

“My Dad has been my swing coach and mentor my entire life,” Schauffele said. “He sent me positive texts all week. I know this is going to bring him a ton of joy where he’s at in Hawaii right now.

“My parents are not here this week, but they know how important they are to me,” he added.

Nelly similarly praised her parents, Petr and Regina, for helping her to achieve staggering accomplishments in the sport.

“Without they’re mentorship, their guidance and knowledge, we wouldn’t be out there today,” Korda said. “It’s something that’s very valuable and something that we cherish.”

For Korda and Schauffele, the Olympic Games Paris 2024 will present another golden opportunity. Rest assured that their parents and diligent teams surrounding them will on French ground for the momentous occasion.

Olympic golf debuted at the Olympic Games Paris 1900 before the sport’s long sojourn until the Olymipc Games Rio 2016. Americans Charles Sands and Margaret Abbott won gold medals at those first Olympic tournaments contested at the Compiègne Golf Club. 

Schauffele and Korda seem poised to duplicate the feats of Sands and Abbott, some 124 years later.