THE WOODLANDS, Texas — Nellie Korta etched her name into the LPGA Tour record books on Sunday, winning her fifth straight tournament with a two-stroke victory at the Chevron Championship for her second major title.
Korda joins Nancy Lopez (1978) and Annika Sorenstam (2004-05) as the only players to win five consecutive LPGA events. Her previous major win was at the Women's PGA Championship in 2021.
Top-seeded Korda shot a 3-under 69 in the final over Sweden's Maja Stark, who birdied her final two holes to within one. Korda was aggressive on the par-5 18th, clearing the lake in front of the green with ease and setting up an easy over-and-under birdie for a two-shot victory.
Gorda shot a four-day total of 12-under 275 at Carlton Woods.
“It felt like the longest back nine of my entire career … but it's nice to get the win,” Gorda said on the NBC broadcast after the round.
“Everything I've ever wanted since I was a kid — to lift that big trophy.”
Gorda moved into the lead by one shot after completing the last seven holes of a weather-delayed third round on a windy and unseasonably cold day early Sunday morning.
She birdied two of her first four holes. Lauren Coughlin got to within two strokes on the 13th and 14th, but bogeys on the 16th and 17th put her four behind. She tied with Canadian Brooke Henderson for third place with a final-round 68.
Korda aced the par-3 17th, his tee shot hitting the hole and bouncing into the air to settle within 10 feet. He held on for par to maintain his two-shot lead.
Korda surprised the huge crowd that had followed him all day by chipping into the wind for birdie on the par-4 10th hole to take a four-stroke lead. The 25-year-old raised the club above his head with one hand and pumped his fist after the ball rolled into the hole.
South Korea's Haeron Ryu shot 67 to lead Gorda by a margin going into the final round. But the 2023 player of the year birdied the first two holes in the fourth round to drop out of the lead. She finished with a 74 for fifth place.
Since moving to Texas from Mission Hills, California, last year, Henderson tied for second with Gorda after shooting a third-round 64. But the Canadian, who has 13 LPGA wins including two majors, stumbled early in the final round, bogeying and double bogeying the first four holes.
Gorda took home $1.2 million from a $7.9 million purse, a significant increase from last year's $5.2 million. This brings his season earnings to $2,424,216 and his career earnings to $11,361,489.
Winners have jumped into Poppy's Pond on the 18th green at Mission Hills since 1988, and Korda became just the second person in Texas to do so from a small dock into brown water. World No. 2 Lilia Wu was the first to jump into the pool after winning last season. He pulled out of this year's competition before the first round after suffering “severe discomfort” in his back during warm-ups.
Eighteen-year-old amateur Jasmine Goo delivered an unlikely highlight on the 18th hole. Her shot bounced off the billboard into the water and was replayed.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
