After a 2-year absence, Jessica Korda returns to the LPGA

For the first time in years, two Kordas are back in action on the LPGA Tour.

Six-time LPGA Tour winner Jessica Korda is hosting this week’s tournament Grant Thornton Invitation in Naples, Fla., joining her sister, Nelly Kordain a field consisting of 16 PGA Tour players and 16 LPGA members. Two-person teams compete in three different formats and for a $4 million purse Friday through Sunday at Tiburon Golf Club.

Jessica Korda, who at 32 is five years older than her sister, is making her first start since May 2023, when she withdrew after the first round of the Founders Cup due to injury. She took time off to rehabilitate her back and then gave birth to her son, Greyson, in February 2024.

Now she’s joined Bud Cauley in her comeback. She said she asked Cauley, an old friend, if he wanted to join her at the event about four months ago. Since then, she’s been slowly trying to get back into golfing shape for the event and more — though she said her comeback wouldn’t be full-time — by increasing her stamina and playing more rounds.

“I’m still taking it very slowly because if I were to go back on tour, it wouldn’t be until mid-March, so I have plenty of time,” she said Wednesday in Tiburon. “It was more just building to this event and we’ll see what we have to work on moving forward. But I can’t do a home tour because we’re never going to get those competitive juices going. Playing with the guys definitely makes me a little nervous, which is fun, and like I said, it was just a lot of fun to be out there. I feel a little bummed about myself.”

Interestingly, Cauley is also known for returning to golf after a long layoff. He was in one serious car accident in 2018, missed a few months and faced starts and stops in the following years.

“We’ve talked about it a little bit, but really the only thing you can do is go out there and get your feet wet again,” Cauley said. “Obviously I know she’s spending a lot of time at home preparing and preparing. When we’ve talked about it, I think I’m not helping much because there’s really no substitute for just getting back playing and competing and going out there and trying to get a result.”

Friday’s format is a scrimmage, Saturday is alternate shot and Sunday’s final round will be four-ball modified.

Cauley and Jessica Korda, along with Nelly Korda and her partner Denny McCarthy, played a practice round together on Tuesday.

“(Jessica) has come out a few times here and there throughout the years, but I’m excited for her to step it up this week and feel some nerves,” Nelly Korda said. “It’s going to be a fun week. It’s always really nice to have the family around. I hope she just has fun and keeps it kind of light.”

Last year, Jessica Korda had a seat in the booth during Grant Thornton’s telecast. This, plus other occasional broadcasting gigs over the years, made him miss playing even more.

“When we were talking about what I could test my body for, it was almost a no-brainer,” she said. “So yeah, I love this event. I loved the idea of ​​it when it was first brought to us. And then being backstage and seeing how much fun everyone was having, I felt like I had major FOMO, so I had to play.”

Grant Thornton’s first round will air from 1-4pm ET Friday on the Golf Channel. Jessica Korda and Cauley are paired with Rose Zhang and Michael Kim and split at 9:30 am.