Nelly Korda could not have imagined the unbelievable run she’s put collectively this season whereas at house recovering from a blood clot that required surgical procedure in 2022.
“As a result of clearly then I used to be simply extra scared for my well being,” she mentioned. “Competing was sort of on the again seat. I used to be not occupied with competing in any respect. However I feel all the unhappy occasions and the well being scares that I’ve gone by have made me who I’m as we speak.”
Absolutely wholesome now, Korda is seemingly unstoppable. The world’s No. 1 participant hasn’t misplaced a match since January, and now she’s a two-time main champion.
Korda etched her identify within the LPGA Tour report books Sunday, profitable her record-tying fifth straight match with a two-stroke victory within the Chevron Championship.
Korda joins Nancy Lopez (1978) and Annika Sorenstam (2004-05) as the one gamers to win 5 consecutive LPGA occasions. Her earlier main victory was in 2021 on the Ladies’s PGA Championship.
“It has been a tremendous feeling these previous couple weeks figuring out that I can go on this stretch and that if I keep in my bubble and I maintain golf in a way easy and let it movement, then I can have so, a lot enjoyable out right here,” she mentioned.
Korda shot a 3-under 69 within the remaining to outlast Maja Stark of Sweden, who birdied her remaining two holes to shoot 69 and pull inside one. Korda stayed aggressive on the par-5 18th, simply clearing the lake in entrance of the inexperienced and establishing a simple up-and-down birdie for a two-shot victory.
She had a four-day complete of 13-under 275 at Carlton Woods.
Korda almost aced the par-3 seventeenth, along with her tee shot hitting the opening and hopping within the air earlier than settling inside 10 toes. She settled for par to take care of her two-shot lead.
Korda wowed the big crowd, which adopted her all through the day, by chipping into the wind for birdie on the par-4 tenth gap to take a four-stroke lead. The 25-year-old raised her membership above her head with one hand and pumped her fist after the ball rolled into the opening.
Who’s Nelly Korda’s dad?
Her dad and mom – former Australian Open tennis champion Petr Korda and Regina Rajchrtova – beamed as she was introduced with the trophy.
“She had a tough ’22 and ’23 in sure methods,” Petr Korda mentioned. “She didn’t win a match in ’23 and a few issues most likely made her humble and (she) put a whole lot of work into the place she is correct now. With out the work and dedication, she wouldn’t be right here. So seeing that, I am very glad.”
Korda’s older sister, Jessica, is a six-time LPGA winner who’s taking a break from golf after giving start to her first baby.
Korda took house $1.2 million from a handbag of $7.9 million, a major enhance from final 12 months’s purse of $5.2 million. That brings her season earnings to $2,424,216 and her profession earnings to $11,361,489.
Winners had been leaping into Poppie’s Pond off the 18th inexperienced at Mission Hills since 1988, and Korda turned the second to do it in Texas by doing a cannonball off a small dock into brown-tinged water. World No. 2 Lilia Vu was first to leap into the pond right here after her win final season. Vu withdrew from this 12 months’s match earlier than the primary spherical after experiencing “extreme discomfort” in her again throughout warmups.
Whereas nonetheless shivering from her post-win plunge Sunday, Korda confirmed she’ll be competing within the JM Eagle LA Championship subsequent week in Los Angeles. She was then requested about the potential for turning into the primary to ever win six straight LPGA tournaments.
“I’ll get pleasure from this proper from time to time I will take into consideration that,” she mentioned. “However yeah, it has been a tremendous time. Hopefully maintain the streak alive. However I have been so grateful to compete week in and week out and get the 5 in a row, too.”
Masters champion Scottie Scheffler is on an analogous tear, on his technique to a fourth victory in 5 begins till rain interrupted the ultimate spherical of the RBC Heritage. He could not assist however examine in on Korda.
“I really was checking the scores this afternoon after we had been within the rain delay,” he mentioned. “I am extraordinarily glad for her and happy with her. That is some fairly particular stuff. It has been a deal with to observe.”
Korda entered the final spherical one shot off the lead after finishing the final seven holes of the weather-delayed third spherical early Sunday morning on a windy and unseasonably cool day. She was worn out after her large win as a result of she’d been up since 4 a.m. to organize for the tip of the third spherical.
She birdied two of her first 4 holes to take the lead. Lauren Coughlin birdied Nos. 13 and 14 to get inside two strokes, however bogeys on the sixteenth and seventeenth holes put her 4 behind. She shot a final-round 68 to complete tied for third with Brooke Henderson.
Coughlin acquired emotional when discussing her finest end in a significant.
“It is actually cool to see all the work that I’ve put in, particularly with my placing and my brief recreation, and placing particularly confirmed off this week, as properly,” she mentioned.
Henderson was tied with Korda for second to start out the final spherical after she shot a 64 within the third spherical to set a scoring report for the match since its transfer from Mission Hills, California, to Texas final 12 months. However the Canadian, who has 13 LPGA wins with two majors, additionally faltered early within the remaining spherical, with a bogey and a double bogey within the first 4 holes.
Haeran Ryu of South Korea shot a bogey-free 67 to enter the ultimate spherical main Korda by one. However the 2023 Rookie of the Yr bogeyed the primary two holes of the fourth spherical. She closed with a 74 and completed fifth.
Eighteen-year-old beginner Jasmine Koo supplied an unlikely spotlight on the 18th gap. Her second shot bounced off the promoting board within the water and again into play. She ended up with a birdie to shoot 71.
