“Pro” Files – Touring Professional Jessica Korda

Athletic genes run in the Korda family of Florida. Patriarch Petr is a native of the former country of Czechoslovakia and the 1998 Australian Open winner in tennis, and his wife Regina was also a professional tennis player. They have three American-born children, Jessica, Nelly and Sebastian. Both Jessica and Nelly play on the LPGA Tour, and Sebastian is the #1-ranked junior tennis player in the world. Jessica, the oldest of the three, has won five times on the LPGA Tour, but had been battling facial cramps and headaches due to a severe overbite. She finally had surgery to correct the problem, with doctors having to break her nose and both her upper and lower jaw to complete the procedure. After an extended recovery, she returned to professional golf in 2018 and won the Honda Thailand Classic. Korda’s appearance is somewhat different, and she said she is getting used to the new face she sees in the mirror. Having won so soon after returning to the Tour shows her mental toughness, and it’s a sure bet that she will be better than ever now that this problem is behind her.