After the first round of the PNC Championship on Saturday, LPGA World No. 1 Nelly Korda walked up to PGA legend Tiger Woods and asked him for a picture. Nelly also had her brother, ATP Tour star Sebastian Korda and their father, former World No. 2 Petr Korda, take a photo with Woods.
When Nelly introduced Tiger to “Sebi”, Woods quickly produced a friendly quip: “What’s up big guy? Aren’t you supposed to be practising?”
“Meeting Tiger was unbelievable. He was so nice,” Sebi, a recent Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals competitor, said. “He's probably our family’s favourite athlete. Any time he would play a tournament, we were all glued to the TV.”
Nelly met Tiger for the first time. Her reaction says it all. 🤗 pic.twitter.com/Wn2yEFP42h
— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) December 18, 2021
Nelly and Petr were competing together in the event, in which a member of each team has won at least one major championship or PLAYERS Championship crown. In their debut, the Korda Family finished 12th (-17). They did not make a bogey across the two rounds.
After Nelly drained a lengthy birdie on the 18th hole on Saturday, she celebrated with Petr and Sebi. Currently No. 41 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, Sebi caddied six holes for his father during the first round.
“I had the easy job. I only caddied six holes on the back nine and Nelly's caddy Jason [McDede] was helping me out,” Sebi said. “I’ve never been inside the ropes during the tournament and was really cool to hear what they talk about before each and every shot.“
It was a memorable weekend for the Korda Family. Sebi, who is scheduled to make his 2022 season debut in Week One in Adelaide, enjoys playing golf himself. He had fun alongside his sister and father as they competed on such a big stage.
Sebastian Korda takes a picture with his sister, Nelly Korda, on Saturday.
“It was so much fun to caddy for my dad and sister Nelly at such a huge event with some of the best golfers,” Korda said. “I’ve never been around my dad while he's playing any kind of tournament, so that was pretty special to see as well.”
Petr has thrived under pressure, having won the 1998 Australian Open. But this was a different experience in a different sport. The most important thing for the 10-time tour-level champion was getting to compete with his daughter. Nelly and Petr were quick to tell the media that they would love to play the event again if invited.
“It was very difficult. I was very nervous, I'm not going to hide it, especially before yesterday going around. I called my old coach, Tony Pickard, and asked him not for advice, but to calm me down,” Petr said during his post-event press conference. “It was a great experience. I enjoyed every moment of it.
“It's easier to walk outside the ropes, which I believe [is where] I belong. But if we have one more chance in the future, I would love to do it again. Just being with Nelly and what she's bringing to women's sports and women's golf and myself to be a part of it, what more can I ask?”
from Tennis - ATP World Tour https://ift.tt/3mxsvX0
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