Nelly Korda is back to work as the LPGA Tour has returned to American soil. The World No. 1 picked up where she left off seven weeks ago and is tied with Jeeno Thitikul for the lead at 12-under through 36 holes at the Ford Championship.Korda went on vacation in early February with a runner-up finish at the Tournament of Champions and a T7 at the Founders Cup under her belt. Now she is not messing around much as she seeks to defend the first of seven titles she won in 2024.The 26-year-old carded eight birdies and one bogey in the second round to move up 16 places and tie for the lead. A day earlier, Korda also had a solid round, carding six birdies and one bogey.Interestingly, the last three times Korda carded back-to-back rounds of 67 or lower, she won the event, according to The Athletic's Justin Ray. That does not bode well for the rest of the LPGA field.Despite the hot start, Korda remains one of the most unpretentious players in the world. In her opinion, not being full of yourself when you're on a winning streak is not exactly a choice in golf."Golf always humbles you so it's easily lost as well," she said earlier this week.That's probably why Korda has managed her reign of world golf stardom by keeping her feet on the ground."Definitely a little bit of a change in that sense," she said ahead of the Ford Championship, talking about her increased celebrity status."I think the people around me have kept me really grounded. They're a great escape. I'm the type of person that likes to train, practice a lot, and then go home. I'm a homebody.""So outside of that, I haven't seen a big change. But definitely a little one when I'm traveling. A lot more people recognize me."The Bradenton, Florida native has also not lost sight of how difficult it is to achieve and maintain the results she has shown recently."It's hard to win out here," she said. "The competition is just getting better and better every year. Everyone is getting -- they're smarter with their bodies, the way they're playing the game."Nelly Korda won the Ford Championship a year ago as one of only two players to shoot four rounds in the 60s (Lexi Thompson, T3). Korda shot a final round 65 to beat Hira Naveed by two strokes.That was Korda's second consecutive victory in 2024, a streak that would extend to five and end with the title at the Chevron Championship, the first major of the season.Korda would go on to win two more titles, but not before suffering a mid-season slump that saw her miss three consecutive cuts, including the Women's PGA Championship and the U.S. Women's Open.While she has been a world star for several years, her rise to prominence last season was so meteoric that it extended far beyond the golf course. Her invitation to the super-exclusive MET Gala and modeling for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit proves it.More Golf: TGL 2025: Payout of $21M Purse as Atlanta Drive Claims Lion's Share