Jessica Korda operates on a strict five-hour schedule. That is the time a babysitter allows her on practice days, and within those hours, she must complete her workout, range session, and any other tasks required of a six-time LPGA Tour winner. Her priorities are set by the demands of motherhood. Golf now fits into whatever time is left.
She brings this limited window into the 2026 Ford Championship at Whirlwind Golf Club in Chandler, Arizona. This marks her first full-field LPGA Tour start since withdrawing from the Cognizant Founders Cup in May 2023 due to a back injury. Nearly three years have passed. She has become a mother in that time. Now, the regular season resumes, with a $2.25 million purse and a full field of top players.
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“I have a sitter for about five, six hours so I need to make sure I can work out, play some golf, and just get everything done that I need to get done.”
Her return has been deliberate. She played the Grant Thornton Invitational in December 2025 with Bud Cauley, a mixed-team event rather than a full LPGA field, finishing tied for 13th at 17-under par. The Ford Championship is a different test. The regular season and a 144-player field present a higher standard than a mixed-team event.
“I definitely prioritize my time with my son over golf, so it’s not nearly as exciting as it used to be practicing.”
MIDLAND, MI – JULY 13: LPGA, Golf Damen golfer Nelly Korda and Jessica Korda walk the 11th hole on July 13, 2022, during the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational at Midland Country Club in Midland, Michigan. Photo by Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire GOLF: JUL 13 LPGA – Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational Icon220713111
She now practices about three days a week, for roughly 90 minutes each session. On busier days, even that is reduced.
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“I think I was telling Nelly the other day I was there for literally 45 minutes because I just didn’t have the time. So I just try to see what’s the most important thing that day and go from there.”
Her warmup sessions are often interrupted by her son Greyson, who sometimes climbs on her while she uses a foam roller, or sends golf balls her way during stretches. She does not complain about these changes.
“I’m on a foam roller and he’s half on top of me or balls are flying at my face. Just it’s a little bit more chaotic than it was before. But it’s way more fun than it was before.”
The road back also carried its own interruptions. A virus sidelined her for nearly a full week just ahead of her targeted return window, a setback she confirmed on Instagram before reporting she had recovered and returned to training.
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Familiarity helps, and this week brings plenty of it. Nelly Korda, now World No. 2, is in the field alongside her at Chandler — the first full LPGA event the sisters have played together since 2023. They are sharing a rental house this week, with Nelly cooking and their mother, Regina, babysitting Greyson while both daughters compete. The Kordas became the first sister duo to represent Team USA at the Solheim Cup in 2019. Both names are on the same regular-season leaderboard again for the first time since then.
“I hope she just has fun and keeps it kind of light,” Nelly said.
Jessica’s return sits within a broader conversation the LPGA has been navigating for several years now, one that does not end the same way for every player involved.
Jessica Korda returns as the LPGA Confronts motherhood’s competing demands
The LPGA has set clear rules for maternity leave: players have up to two years from childbirth to return, with their status protected. Jessica Korda followed this process after giving birth to Greyson on February 3, 2024. She eased back into competition through 2025 and adapted her routine. Her last victory remains the 2021 Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions, where she defeated Danielle Kang.
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Other players have taken similar routes back to competition, setting a precedent for Jessica. Brittany Altomare returned to the tour at the 2025 Honda LPGA Thailand after giving birth to Wyatt in March 2024, noting the physical adjustments she had to make. Alison Lee also resumed play within months of giving birth, and spoke about the difficulty of leaving a newborn to compete.
Catriona Matthew won the 2009 Women’s British Open just 11 weeks after giving birth to her second daughter, Sophie, and posted a T4 finish at the U.S. Women’s Open that same year. Cristie Kerr was back in a full LPGA field three months after her son, Mason, was born via surrogacy in December 2013.
Jessica’s current schedule is limited, with fewer practice sessions than in previous years. Her return reflects the practical challenges of balancing motherhood and professional golf, which are both enabled and constrained by the policy.
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