NAPLES, Fla. — It’s been a minute since Jessica Korda last teed it up in a professional golf tournament, but the six-time LPGA Tour winner is finally back in business this week at the Grant Thornton Invitational.

Korda is competing alongside Bud Cauley in the third edition of the mixed-gender team event, what marks both her first-ever berth in one of the more unique tournaments in all of professional golf and her first competitive start since becoming an LPGA Mom last year.

The now 32-year-old Korda stepped away from the LPGA Tour in 2023 to deal with lingering injury and then announced she was pregnant with her first child in August that same year, ultimately welcoming her son Greyson in February 2024. Korda has been sidelined since, covering a smattering of LPGA tournaments as an on-course reporter for several different broadcasts across her two-and-a-half-year break, while also raising her son, who will turn two this coming February.

The road to get back into playing shape has been fairly lengthy for Jess, mainly because of the length of time she took off, and she has been documenting the process in recent months on her social media platforms, highlighting just how challenging it can be preparing for a pro event while chasing a toddler around.

Korda teased a potential return to the LPGA Tour next season in her pre-tournament press conference in Naples, Fla., but she was quick to say that even if it does happen, it wouldn’t be in a full-time capacity. So for now, Jess is just enjoying the opportunity that the Grant Thornton Invitational has given her to get back to doing what she did best for the majority of her life pre-parenthood and is looking forward to once again walking the fairways inside the ropes.

“It wasn't like I was out there every single day all day,” Korda explained in context of her Grant Thornton Invitational preparation. “It was a very slow buildup, and I think the most I played golf was like six or seven days in a row. It wasn't anything massive. I'm still taking it very much slowly because if I were to come back out on Tour, it wouldn't be till mid-March, so I have plenty of time. It was more just the buildup to this event, and we'll see what we need to work on going forward.

“I can't make a tournament out at home because we'll never get those competitive juices. Playing with the guys definitely makes me a little bit nervous, which is fun, and it's been a lot of fun to be out there. I feel like myself, and it's a little bit of a break from being a mom and wiping butts.”

Jess’ younger sister, 15-time LPGA Tour winner Nelly Korda, is jazzed to have her sibling out at Tiburón this week. The 27-year-old has confessed several times over the last couple of seasons that she has really missed having her “dinner buddy” and “built-in best friend” about when traveling the world to compete on the LPGA Tour, making Jess’ return to action at the Grant Thornton Invitational has something that Nelly has looked forward to since the elder Korda committed to play.

“(Jess and I) played our first practice round yesterday in a couple years. It's so nice,” Nelly said. “Obviously, she's been out a couple times here and there and throughout the years, but I'm excited for her to tee it up this week and to feel the nerves back. It's going to be a fun week. It's always so nice to have family around. I hope she just has fun and keeps it kind of light.”

Having fun isn’t likely to be an issue for Jess this week. She and Bud are really close friends off the golf course, and it was actually Korda who suggested the pair team up at Tiburón.

The duo has had a lot of recent conversations about their lives as professional athletes, as Jess has polled Cauley quite a bit as she has wrestled with the decision of whether or not to play again on the LPGA. Not only does he understand the demands and pressure that come with playing golf at this high of a level, Bud also knows exactly what it’s like to take an extended break from Tour life, having done so to deal with complications from a car accident that occurred back in 2018. And that perspective has been valuable for Jess.

“(Jess and I) have spoken about it a little bit, but really the only thing you can do is get out there and get your feet wet again,” Cauley said. “I know she's been putting in a lot of time at home to prepare and get ready. When we have talked about it, I guess I'm not very much help because really there's no substitute for coming back out playing, competing and going out there and trying to shoot a score.

Like Korda, this is also Cauley’s first time in the Grant Thornton Invitational, and his experience with this venue is incredibly limited compared to some of his PGA Tour counterparts who are in the field. But really, the Korda-Cauley team isn’t too worried about contending for the title come Sunday afternoon in Naples, Fla., although both competitors would of course love to hoist the trophy.

They are instead much more focused on enjoying each other’s company and are relishing the chance the Grant Thornton Invitational provides to spend meaningful time together on the golf course, strengthening the relationship that already exists off it.

“I proposed to Bud like four months ago. I thought this would be such a fun event to play,” Korda said when asked about how their partnership came to be. “I just thought Bud would be the perfect partner. We're close, our families are close. Also, Bud was such a great sounding board when I was trying to figure out if I wanted to come back and play golf, and being out the amount of time as I was.

“I think we're going to have a lot of fun out on the golf course, and that's all I really wanted to do. So, Bud was my guy, and he said yes.”

Jessica Korda Returns to Competition at Grant Thornton Invitational

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