Nelly Korda makes expected WTGL decision as inaugural teams and rosters are confirmed

Nelly Korda will not be part of the inaugural WTGL season after the teams and full rosters for the new women's golf league were officially confirmed.

The World No.1 player is the biggest omission from the lineup, with just four of the current top 10 in the Rolex Women's World Golf Rankings committing to the indoor golf league.

Korda's decision is understood to go beyond simply managing her schedule. 

The four-time major champion recently raised concerns about the WTGL's separate-but-equal structure, while logistical demands and the additional time commitment required are understood to have also been factors in her decision not to join the league.

"I have mixed feelings on it [WTGL] if I'm being very honest, and I'm surprised no other girls have, or no one's really spoken out about it," Korda told Golfweek's Beth Ann Nichols earler this season.

"I think it's a huge and unbelievable miss that we're not playing alongside the men. 

"There's no greater way to grow the game, and it would have been revolutionary. It would have been the first time, I think, that men and women are on the same playing field, playing for the same exact amount of money. 

"But I also think it's great that we are getting this opportunity, so that's my mixed feelings."

The inaugural WTGL season is scheduled to begin in the winter of 2026-27, following the conclusion of the LPGA season in November.

Five franchises will compete in the first campaign, with the teams mirroring those already established in the men's TGL: Atlanta Drive, Boston Common, Los Angeles Golf Club, Motor City Golf Club and New York Golf Club.

The rosters feature a host of major LPGA names, including Charley Hull, Jeeno Thitikul, Minjee Lee, Lydia Ko, Brooke Henderson, Lexi Thompson and Rose Zhang.

WTGL inaugural team rosters

The teams are expected to begin competing in November at the SoFi Center in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, marking the launch of a new franchise-based competition in women's professional golf.

The WTGL has been created by TMRW Sports, the company founded by Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Mike McCarley, which also operates the men's TGL.

Korda's absence is particularly notable given her position at the top of the women's game, but it is not entirely without precedent.

In the men's competition, World No.1 Scottie Scheffler is also not involved. 

Scheffler, 30, secured his second FedEx Cup title in three years after winning the Tour Championship at East Lake on Sunday. 

The American's $10m first prize also saw him vault past Tiger Woods into top spot in PGA Tour career earnings. 

TGL and WTGL will therefore take place in 2027 without either World No.1 player. 

For Scheffler, TGL has not been something he wants to entertain around his PGA Tour schedule, especially with a young family and residing over in Texas. 

For Korda, however, the decision reflects a wider consideration of how the new league fits alongside the demands of life on the LPGA, but more so the fact TGL has missed a golden opportunity to include both men and women in the same league.