Korda Sisters to Play in Aramco Team Series at La Reserva Club Sotogrande

Sisters Nelly and Jessica Korda are the latest stars to confirm their participation in the Aramco Team Series – Sotogrande at La Reserva Club. One of the Ladies European Tour’s showpiece events, and part of a series played around the world, the $1 million tournament on the Costa del Sol (18-20 August) features an innovative fourball format in which three LET professionals compete in each team together with an amateur golfer. 

The Kordas will be making their first appearance in a Spanish event, but have played in a previous Aramco Team Series tournament. Last year they teed up in the debut Aramco Team Series – New York, the first-ever Ladies European Tour event to be played in the US. Older sister Jessica (a six-time US LPGA Tour champion) captained her team to victory (pictured above), while former world number one and 2020 Olympic Gold medallist Nelly finished one stroke short of the individual winning total (by Briton’s Charley Hull).

“It’ll actually be my first ever time visiting Spain,” said Nelly, “so I’m really looking forward to getting there and seeing and experiencing what I’ve always imagined to be this amazing culture. The golf course at La Reserva looks incredible too so it should be a great week.

“With the Solheim Cup taking place just round the corner from Sotogrande next year (Finca Cortesín), this will also be the perfect opportunity for me and some of the other Americans in the field to get a bit of a lay of the land and a feel for playing in Spain, with the hope of being back there 12 months later. I’m excited to get out there and can’t wait to see what Sotogrande has in store for us.”

This will also be the first time Jessica has played in a Spanish event. “Spain has had such a massive influence on golf,” she said, “from big-name players like Seve (Ballesteros), Sergio Garcia and Jon Rahm to Carlota Ciganda and the many Spanish girls making an impact on both the LPGA and LET. The Spanish fans are known to have some fiery passion too, so I can’t wait to tee it up in front of them for what should be a pretty special atmosphere in Sotogrande.”

Another US golfer already has fond memories of La Reserva Club. In 2021, Alison Lee won the individual element of the tournament for her first professional victory. “I have proven I can play well at La Reserva Club, and I am determined to do so again. Last year there were very few fans on site due to COVID restrictions, but I hope that, having won there, some of the locals will come out in support of me in August.

Leading the Spanish challenge will be Carlota Ciganda (pictured above), who won the 2021 Andalucía Open de España at Los Naranjos in Marbella and last month (June) the Estrella Damm Ladies Open Presented by Catalunya. At La Reserva Club she will be joined by 2021 AIG Women’s Open champion Anna Nordqvist, rising Spanish talent Ana Peláez Triviño, young Australian sensation Stephanie Kyriacou, British golf legend Dame Laura Davies and 2021 Solheim Cup captain Catriona Matthews.

Tickets (starting at €5) are on sale at www.ramcoteamseries.com, and the event can be followed on social media @aramco_series.

Photos supplied by Aramco Team Series (Getty Images)

Ladies European Tour Returns to Sotogrande Golf Resort – Home & Lifestyle Magazine (July-August P.224)