Houston (AFP) – Nelly Korda rolled to a five-stroke victory in the LPGA Chevron Championship on Sunday, capturing her third major title to assure her return to the world number one ranking. The 27-year-old American took a five-shot lead into the final round and carded a two-under par 70 to win the first women’s major of the year, with China’s Yin Ruoning and Thailand’s Patty Tavatanakit sharing second. Korda completed an impressive wire-to-wire victory at Memorial Park in Houston, becoming the third player in the last 50 years to win a major championship after leading by multiple strokes after each round.
“Honestly, having that big of a lead, it’s not easy,” Korda said. “It was definitely one of the hardest things I’ve had to do mentally. I’m, like, having to play defensive at some point but also not wanting to get too defensive because I want to play my own game. That’s where I struggled this weekend.” Korda, whose 2024 Chevron triumph was her second major after a victory in the 2021 Women’s PGA, had matched the tournament’s 54-hole scoring record with a 16-under total and opened the final round with an up-and-down birdie at the par-five first. She nabbed another birdie at the par-five third, where her long eagle attempt just missed.
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Playing partners Patty and Yin tried to keep some pressure on, both posting three birdies on the front nine, but the American was still up by five at the turn. A three-putt bogey at the 12th saw Korda’s lead cut to four, but she answered with birdies at the 13th and 14th — bombing a drive at 13 and sticking her approach within three feet of the pin. “Obviously having the two back-to-back birdies helped,” she said. “The par-fives are easier for me to play like myself.” A bogey at 17 didn’t even dent her lead, as Yin made bogey as well. Both of Korda’s bogeys were three-putts, and she missed a couple of birdie chances as well.
“What I kept telling myself was I really want to hoist this trophy because I want to show the kids at home that it’s OK to miss short putts and still win a major championship,” she said. “You’re going to make mistakes, but you have to mentally still be in it 100 percent.”
– ‘All worth it’ –
There may have been some miscues on the green, but Korda hit 12 of 13 fairways in regulation and 16 of 18 greens. Yin finished with four birdies in her three-under 69, and Patty had three birdies and a bogey in her 70 — coming home with 10 straight pars. Korda’s win continued a strong 2026 campaign that has seen her win the season-opening Tournament of Champions and finish second in her three other starts.
After those runner-up finishes, Korda said, victory felt like something of a vindication. “For me to put myself in a position going into every tournament, being in the final group on a Sunday and not getting it done, and finally getting it done in a major championship, it’s all worth it to me,” she said. She will rise from number two in the world to number one, supplanting Thailand’s Jeeno Thitikul, who missed the cut this week.
© 2024 AFP
