LPGA Tour
TaylorMade Golf – Nelly Korda victorious for second straight week with Qi4D and TP5x at Riviera Maya Open
May 4, 2026 – Fresh off her third major championship victory last week at the Chevron Championship, world No. 1 Nelly Korda entered the final round of the Riviera Maya Open with a three-shot lead. She never looked back en route to a four-shot victory. For the week, she carded rounds of 68-67-67-69 which included 13 birdies and three eagles against just two bogeys.
In six starts so far this season, Nelly has notched three wins, two runner-ups and a tie for second. The win marks her third of the 2026 season and the 18th of her career.
For the season, Nelly’s dominance is born out in her stats:
- 1st in SG Total: 4.23
- 1st in Scoring Average: 68.11
- 1st in SG Tee-to-Green: 5.14
- 1st in SG Approach: 2.04
- 1st in SG Around the Green: 0.90
- 2nd in Greens in Regulation: 78.95%
- 2nd in SG Off the Tee: 2.13
- 2nd in Scrambling Percentage: 70.83%
- 5th in Driving Distance: 283.55 yards
- 6th in Total Driving
Let’s have a closer look at the equipment inside Nelly’s winning bag.
NELLY FINDS A NEW FAST
There aren’t exactly any weaknesses in Nelly Korda’s game, but if there’s one club that’s a strength, it’s her driver. And she happens to be pretty particular about which driver she puts in the bag. In fact, she played the same shape driver head for eight straight years.
However, that all changed with Qi4D. After months of testing and dialing in the exact shape Nelly was looking for, the gains she saw in both speed and control were noteworthy.
“Immediately when I put this thing in the bag I loved it. It’s doing exactly what I want… having it under pressure on the golf course is what’s most important,” said Nelly Korda.
Speaking to the shape, Nelly said: “The most important thing is the comfort I have over the ball when I look down at the driver. After that, it’s just if it performs the way I want to.”
In the past, drivers with compact heads didn’t allow Nelly to see the ball turn right-to-left, her preferred shot shape. But when TaylorMade fitters saw the ball speed gains other Team TaylorMade athletes were seeing with Qi4D, they thought it would be a good idea to reintroduce the shape to Nelly.
It’s a good thing they did. Within just 20 shots, she simply said, “I actually like this shape better.”
With the Qi4D driver’s four moveable weights, the fitters were able to dial in a setup that allowed Nelly to turn the ball over more easily than ever.
Notably, Nelly’s setup included:
- An upright loft sleeve setting to match her preferred lie angle
- A slightly higher loft setting for optimal launch
IMMEDIATE SPEED GAINS
There’s no question Nelly liked the shape of her new Qi4D, but it was the speed gains she saw right away that sealed the deal. During initial testing, she gained 3 mph of ball speed in just a few swings. Those gains only continued to increase throughout the testing process.
“Watching her on the range, she was reaching parts of the driving range at her home course she had never seen before. We saw even more of those speed gains on the golf course when she started cranking it up,” said Ryan Ressa, Senior Tour Manager.
SPEED WITHOUT SACRIFICING CONTROL
Any time the best players in the world chase more speed off the tee, there’s a worry that they’re going to sacrifice control. That turned out to be anything but the case with Nelly and her Qi4D. In testing, she maintained tight spin windows and predictable launch conditions thanks to the Qi4D driver’s new and improved face roll.
- Optimal spin strikes: 2,400–2,500 RPM
- Mis-hits: 2,600 RPM
A SHAFT TO FIT
Early on, the Tour team leaned into TaylorMade’s shaft recommendation system to evaluate potential options. The R&D team analyzed Nelly’s swing mechanics and delivery numbers and inserted them into the recommender which matched her to Graphite Design’s Tour AD FI 6-S shaft.
The slightly stiffer tip compared to her previous gamer aids in producing and controlling her draw while helping maximize ball speed.
This data‑driven approach added another layer to the build — proving that Qi4D success isn’t one‑size‑fits‑all, even at the highest level. This is something you can take advantage of too during a TaylorMade club fitting.
“She loves the look and feel and controllability of this thing so much that she’s not even concerned with spin at this point,” said Ryan Ressa.
NELLY’S QI4D DRIVER SPEC:
- HEAD: Qi4D 10.5°
- FRONT WEIGHTS: 3g heel, 3g toe
- BACK WEIGHTS: 5g heel, 3g toe
- LOFT SLEEVE: Standard
- SHAFT: TOUR AD FI 6-S
- LENGTH: 44 3/4″ cut
- GRIP: Tour Velvet 68 RD
- WRAPS: 1
NELLY’S SWITCH TO TP5X
During the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship prep in September, Nelly approached Senior Tour Manager, Ryan Ressa, about how she felt her iron shots were launching low and spinning less than desired, especially into firm major championship greens.
To create more spin but retain the same feel and speed of TP5x, the R&D team created a Tour prototype TP5x. After testing TP5x in late October, the results were immediate.
TP5x delivered:
- More spin and higher peak height with irons
- Improved stopping power into firm greens
- Enhanced short game spin and control
Those changes allowed Nelly to shift her strategy to be more aggressive. With more spin and control, she can now fire at pins, more easily shape iron shots, and trust the ball to hold greens — even in firm conditions.
“The new TP5x is a game changer for her. When I walked with her after first putting it in play, the ball was noticeably better with her irons. She was playing more aggressively and felt like she could attack pins more freely. She can be way more aggressive with her scoring clubs, which is something she felt like she couldn’t do toward the end of last season,” said Ryan Ressa.
WHY NELLY PLAYS P·7CB IRONS
“I need a little bit more height when it comes to my irons because when we play major championship golf courses the greens tend to get firmer and faster,” Nelly Korda said of her switch to P·770 and P·7CB. “(P·770 and P·7CB) give me that so I know that even if I hit a controlled shot it’s not going to shoot on the green.”
“When it comes to my scoring clubs, I like the look of the CB’s from the top,” she said. “It’s a little bit thinner visually and I can hit some really good controlled shots with them. For me, I never go after a shot at 95 percent. I’m always at that 90 percent area or even less. Hitting the controlled shots with P·7CB’s makes it a lot easier for me to execute what I’m visually wanting.”
NELLY’S WINNING WITB
- Driver: TaylorMade Qi4D (10.5°)
- Fairway Woods: TaylorMade Stealth 2 3 & 7 (15.0° & 21.0°)
- Irons: TaylorMade P·770 (5); TaylorMade P·7CB (6-PW)
- Wedges: TaylorMade MG4 (50°SB); TaylorMade MG5 Proto 54° HB
- Putter: TaylorMade NK Proto
- Golf Ball: TaylorMade TP5x
