BREAKING NEWS đź”´ Lydia Ko refused to back down – immediately after her final putt of round 1 at the 2026 HSBC Women’s World Championship, she flew into a rage, calling Nelly Korda “a disgrace to golf” and vowing to expose LPGA bias. Chaos ensued as officials rushed in to defuse the tense situation… until Nelly Korda finally responded with just five cold words, leaving Lydia Ko stunned, the crowd cheering, and social media exploding.
Singapore, February 26, 2026 – Sentosa Golf Club, Tanjong Course, known as “Asia’s Major”, today witnessed one of the most dramatic moments in LPGA Tour history. Immediately after completing the last putt of round 1 at the HSBC Women’s World Championship 2026, Lydia Ko – the defending champion and one of the icons of women’s golf – could not contain her anger.
With her face red and her voice shaking with anger, she pointed towards the spectator area (where there were a number of Nelly Korda supporters) and shouted loudly: “Nelly Korda is a disgrace to golf!” (a disgrace to golf). Not stopping there, Lydia vowed to “expose the LPGA’s blatant bias” towards American golfers, especially Nelly – who is absent from this tournament.
Chaos immediately erupted. LPGA officials, including supervisors and security staff, rushed in like lightning to restrain Lydia. Some caddies and golfers nearby tried to pull her out of green area 18, while the crowd of spectators stood still in shock. Booing and whistling rang out from the stands. Everything happened in less than 2 minutes, but it was enough for live television cameras to record the entire moment.
Lydia Ko, 28 years old, a New Zealander of Korean descent, is famous for her calm, professional personality and is the youngest Hall of Fame member in LPGA history. But today, all limits seem to have been broken. Sources from witnesses said that Lydia’s anger stems from conflicts that have lasted since the beginning of the 2026 season.
Especially the incident at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions in early February, when the LPGA decided to shorten the tournament to 54 holes due to cold weather in Orlando. Nelly Korda – then leading after the third round with an impressive 64 – was declared champion without even playing the final round. Lydia, who once led after 36 holes but fell in the third round, publicly expressed her deep disappointment.
She called the decision “unfair”, “gutted”, and implied that the LPGA favored American golfers to maintain its star image.
Nelly Korda, currently ranked No. 2 in the world (behind Jeeno Thitikul), is not participating in this year’s HSBC Women’s World Championship – just like last year. The official reason is the rest schedule and preparation for the following tournaments, but many people think that this is Nelly’s way to stay away from “Asian drama” after the TOC incident. She is enjoying a short vacation in the United States after a controversial victory in Orlando, where she ended a streak of not winning a championship that lasted until 2025.
And then, the climax came: As Lydia was still screaming and officials tried to get her into the backstage area, a sudden announcement rang out from the stadium speakers – Nelly Korda had posted a story on Instagram (then quickly deleted, but screenshots went viral). Just barely five cold words: “Keep my name out your mouth.”(Don’t mention my name in your mouth anymore.)
That short, sharp statement was like a knock-out punch. Lydia Ko stood stunned on the spot, mouth open, eyes wide open. The surrounding crowd erupted in cheers and applause, some people chanted “Nelly! Nelly!”. Social networks immediately went crazy: hashtags #LydiaVsNelly, #DisgraceToGolf, #LPGABias trended immediately on X (Twitter), TikTok and Instagram. Thousands of comments poured in: “Nelly just ended the drama with 5 words!”, “Lydia lost from the inside”, “This is the ultimate golf – the ultimate drama is higher than the major!”.
The LPGA quickly issued a brief statement: “We are investigating the incident and will handle it accordingly. The LPGA is committed to a professional playing environment and mutual respect.” However, many internal sources said that Lydia could face punishment for “improper behavior on the field”. Meanwhile, Nelly has not commented further, but her “silence is golden” move is being praised as “queen-like coldness”.
This incident is not only a personal conflict between two superstars – Lydia Ko (20 LPGA titles, 2 majors) and Nelly Korda (15 titles, recovering form) – but also reflects deeper problems in the LPGA 2026: the disparity between American and international golfers, the Asian schedule being “abandoned” by top stars, and accusations of bias from the organizers.
Nelly was criticized for being “entitled” (arrogant) for skipping the entire Asian swing (Honda LPGA Thailand, HSBC, Blue Bay LPGA), while Lydia – with her Asian origins – always fully participated and was loved by the local audience.
Round 1 of the HSBC Women’s World Championship ended with Jeeno Thitikul (world number 1) struggling (73 +1), Lydia Ko stable at -2 (T14), and names like Minjee Lee and Charley Hull are also in the upper group. But everything is now overshadowed by off-field drama. There are 3 more rounds left in the tournament, and if Lydia continues to explode, or Nelly speaks up again, this story could last until the first major – Chevron Championship in April.
The golf community is divided: one side supports Lydia for “dare to speak the truth”, the other side defends Nelly because “she does not deserve to be dragged into unreasonable drama”. Regardless of the result, today’s moment has become one of the LPGA’s biggest scandals since the Lexi Thompson incident of yesteryear. Women’s golf isn’t just about perfect shots – sometimes, it’s also about battles off the fairway.
