A Strategic Shift for the World No. 1
Nelly Korda walks onto the grounds of Royal Lytham & St Annes as the outright favorite to grab her third major of 2026. That’s a lot of pressure, but she’s heading into a venue that doesn’t play like the parkland courses we’re used to seeing most of the year. The Lancashire links demands a completely different setup, forcing players to tinker with their bags just to keep up. Korda, who usually sticks to her guns with a consistent configuration, has made a visible change. According to Golf Monthly, the World No. 1 told reporters she’s ditching her usual hybrid for a 4-iron. That’s a big move for a player who rarely touches her setup. It’s all about handling the specific wind and terrain she’s facing this week.
Why the 4-Iron Is the Right Choice
Look at Korda’s history, and you see a player who values stability above everything else. She typically carries a TaylorMade Qi4D driver, TaylorMade Stealth 2 fairway woods, and a Ping G425 hybrid. Her irons usually start with a TaylorMade P770 5-iron and go from there. But Royal Lytham is a different beast. You need a lower ball flight to keep the ball under the wind, or you’ll get pushed all over the place. Golf Monthly reported that Korda laid out her strategy during her press conference, admitting she’s cutting back on the big stick. “Yeah, not many drivers off the tee. Probably max four or five,” Korda stated. That switch to the 4-iron solves her specific trajectory problem. She’s got a naturally lower ball flight and has relied on her hybrid for control, but now she’s testing a club that offers more precision for these conditions. My hybrid has always been paired with a slightly lower ball flight.. I really like this 4-iron. She informed reporters that after testing it at KPMG, she will use it this week.. The club appears to be a TaylorMade P770 model, matching her 5-iron. She will likely keep the AeroTech SteelFiber i80 CW shafts throughout the set to maintain feel.
What This Means for Her Major Charge
This tweak tells you she’s done her homework. Korda doesn’t change her bag unless she has to. The four-time major winner usually sticks to her trusted TaylorMade and Titleist combination. By swapping the Ping G425 hybrid for the 4-iron, she’s choosing shot-making over raw distance. Links golf will punish you if you hit a high shot that catches the wind. A lower trajectory lets the ball run out on the hard ground, which is exactly what you want. Korda’s confidence in the 4-iron comes from successful testing at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship (the one in June). The fact that she’s putting it into play immediately suggests she trusts the data. This adjustment could be the difference between contending and winning. It shows she respects the course enough to adapt her game. Fans watching will see a player willing to sacrifice a familiar club for a specific advantage. The change also limits her driver usage, which might seem conservative. Yet, accuracy off the tee is often more valuable than raw distance on a narrow links layout. With Miyu Yamashita defending the title, Korda faces stiff competition. Her willingness to innovate gives her a distinct edge heading into the final major of the season.
What to Watch at Royal Lytham
Keep an eye on how often Korda pulls the driver during the tournament. Her comment about using it only four or five times suggests a disciplined game plan. The real test will be how the 4-iron performs against the wind and the firm turf. If the ball stays low and runs well, she could control the scoring opportunities better than her rivals. The success of this experiment could influence how other players approach links golf in the future. Watch her iron play in the long holes. The ability to hit a controlled 4-iron into a green will be crucial. If she executes this plan, she remains the player to beat in 2026.
