Despite finishing in 13th place at the Grant Thornton Invitational, Nelly Korda couldn’t be happier with her non-top-ten, especially when you consider the fact that she lost her playing partner right before the tournament was about to start.

Korda was supposed to play with six-time PGA Tour winner Tony Finau at the mixed-team event at Tiburón Golf Club, but the latter had to withdraw on the Wednesday of tournament week due to lingering knee issues after surgery to repair his torn meniscus. Like a knight in shining armor, Daniel Berger stepped in despite not having played much golf recently. The two made it work shooting a 16-under 200 overall. There wasn’t a trophy but it might be the start of a beautiful friendship.

“I’ll star you on my PGA Tour app.” – Nelly complimenting Berger’s game after their round 😂 pic.twitter.com/2HzcdnoaBO

— claire rogers (@kclairerogers) December 14, 2024

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“I’ll definitely star you on my PGA Tour app,” Korda said to Berger, referring to the app’s ability to track your favorite players. “He hit so many fairways, really great iron play, and on top of that he rolls it really well. He checks all the boxes. He has a new fan in me,” to which Berger replied, “Oh, wow. Thank you.”

Korda continued: “He’s very much a finesse player. We were kind of talking about it on the first day. I never hit my shots really full, and I like to feel it in, and he does the same thing. So I always appreciate that when a player shows his artistic side.”

Berger is coming off three years of incessant back injuries so a compliment from World No. 1 Korda certainly won’t hurt his confidence. His game has been moving in the right direction as of late, especially his T-2 finish at The RSM Classic at the end of November. That pushed him to No. 100 in the standings and ensured his exempt status on tour next year.

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Carmen Mandato

Carmen Mandato

Korda asked Berger was asked on Tuesday if he was around to fill in, and he needed to put down the racket and pick up the clubs. “Yeah, I asked him, you do know we’re playing golf, not tennis, right?” Korda said.

Like Korda, Berger had nothing but positive things to say about his last-second Grant Thornton Invitational partner.

“I mean, it’s pretty clear why she’s No. 1 in the world and I need to get my act together,” Berger admitted. “There was a couple of times where I hit one in there yesterday and I looked in her bag, and she was hitting the same club I was hitting and I was like wow. It’s just impressive all around.”

This article was originally published on golfdigest.com