Through her first 36 holes at the LPGA Tour Ford Championship, Nelly Korda seemed poised to repeat as champion, shooting 67-65 over the first two days to share the clubhouse lead with Jeeno Thitikul after Friday's morning wave.
Despite losing that lead to Lilia Vu later that afternoon, the world No. 1 trailed by just two heading into the weekend but failed to capitalize in the third and fourth rounds.
Teeing it up for only the third time this season, Korda shot a 1-over 73 during Saturday's third round, making three bogeys on the back nine to take herself out of contention. Trailing by seven going into the final round, she was unable to make a charge on Sunday, shooting a 1-under 69 to tie for 22nd.
Hyo Joo Kim ultimately won the event, firing a final-round 64 to get into a playoff with Vu and then making a birdie on the first extra hole to take the title.
For Korda, it's her third top-25 in the three starts this season, but the Ford Championship also marked her worst finish since also tying for 22nd at the Olympics last August.
Last year, Korda won seven times on tour including five in a row
After seven wins a season ago, Korda has obviously yet to visit the winner's circle in 2025. She chose to sit out the entire Asian swing, but with the LPGA Tour set to stay in North America for the next few months, she should tee it up much more frequently.
In addition to the Ford Championship being her worst finish in more than seven months, it was also her first time not finishing in the top 10 in 2025. The other two tournaments in which she participated were the Hilton Grand Tournament of Vacations, where she finished in solo second, and the Founders Cup, where she tied for seventh.
Korda has committed to playing this week's T-Mobile Match Play event and the JM Eagle Championship before the season's first major, the Chevron Championship.
Last season, she won both the Match Play and the Chevron Championship, the latter being her second major championship victory. The Florida native was supposed to play the JM Eagle but withdrew, citing a need to rest both mentally and physically.
This year, the JM Eagle takes place before the Chevron, whereas last season the tourneys were reversed on the schedule.
Despite her failure to defend the Ford Championship, Korda will be looking to strike back over the next few weeks, and one has to think it's only a matter of time before she notches her first victory of the young season.