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Nelly Korda is currently competing at the CPKC Women’s Open—a $2.75 million event with a winner’s share of $412,500—at the Royal Mayfair Golf Club in Edmonton. Despite a stacked field chasing her in the Rolex rankings, the World No. 1 took some time out to wish her longtime beau and fiancé, Casey Gunderson. The two got engaged nine months ago.

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On Friday, August 31, she posted two photos of them on her Instagram Stories, but the second one had a special message. The first picture featured the couple on a beach under a clear sky. Gunderson wore sunglasses and a black T-shirt, a white towel over his shoulder, while Korda donned sunglasses and a white T-shirt. She captioned the picture “Birthday Boy.” The second also featured the two at a beach (perhaps the same one), but this time at sunset. Gunderson wore a white T-shirt and sunglasses, while Korda wore a black hoodie and carried what looked like a smoothie. She encapsulated her feelings for him in the caption with five words:

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Love doing life with you“.

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Gunderson is Korda’s rock. She has often described Gunderson as the steadiest presence in her life. The couple often travels together. Korda also claimed that her fiancé lets her be “Nelly” once she’s off the clock.

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Interestingly, Korda and Gunderson actually met years before they started dating. The two knew each other as teenagers at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, but lost touch after school. Gunderson graduated and then played college football at Bryant University in Rhode Island. Surprisingly, the couple reconnected in 2024, and their relationship moved quickly from there.

After a year of dating, Gunderson came to Korda’s house to ask for her parents’ blessing before proposing. He did it in a warm style by bringing fruit-filled dumplings. Her parents couldn’t say no to that! Gunderson then proposed to Korda on a beach in November 2025. She announced their engagement in a photo carousel captioned, “In this life….& the next.” The two plan to marry in 2027.

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Their relationship has since become one of the most loved and steady in the public eye. Korda has often called Gunderson her “best support system” as he travels to her tournaments to support her. Gunderson, for his part, works on the business side of an engineering firm in Florida. He moved into the corporate world after his football career came to a pause. He has kept a low profile during their relationship, but is never shy about sharing warm moments with her on the beach.

Korda arrives in Edmonton after skipping last week’s event to recover from the AIG Women’s Open at Royal Lytham, where she finished tied for fourth. The result capped a strong major season that also included her third career major win at the Chevron Championship in April. Notably, the CPKC Women’s Open marks her first start since the AIG finish. Korda is currently tied for 29th in a field that includes 14 of the top 25 players.

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Korda would want to win given the stakes. She’s roughly $296,011 behind Annika Sorenstam’s long-standing official career mark. A win here would break that record. Korda’s also two points away from the LPGA Hall of Fame. A win here awards her a crucial point.

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Roshni Dhawan

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Roshni Dhawan is a Golf Writer at EssentiallySports, covering the financial and human side of the professional game. Her reporting centers on player earnings and tournament economics, from net-worth profiles of pros such as Sahith Theegala to the prize-money breakdown at the 2026 U.S. Open, alongside explainer features that introduce readers to the tour's lesser-known names, including her profile of Harry Higgs. She also reports on everything that define a tournament week, covering on-course conduct, rules decisions, and the fan and media reaction that follows, with much of her 2026 work centered on the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills. Roshni's background is in research and brand strategy, which informs the accuracy and structure she brings to her coverage. She works methodically, prioritizing verification and the detail that a strong earnings or profile piece depends on.

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Abhimanyu Gupta

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