Nelly Korda rallies to sudden-death hometown victory at LPGA Drive On Championship
By Jack Bantock, CNN
(CNN) — Nelly Korda pulled off a stunning late rally to clinch a dramatic hometown victory at the LPGA Drive On Championship in Florida on Sunday, edging Lydia Ko in a playoff to prolong the New Zealander’s wait to join the LPGA Hall of Fame.
Trailing Ko by three strokes with just two holes left to play, Bradenton-born Korda’s hopes of an emotional win at Bradenton Country Club looked to have faded after a run of bogey, double-bogey, bogey, only for the 25-year-old to make an eagle-birdie finish to finish level with her rival at 11-under overall and force a playoff.
After both players parred the first extra hole, world No. 9 Ko saw her effort for par lip out at the subsequent replay of the 18th, and Korda made no mistake with her attempt to send the local crowd wild.
“The amount of support I received this week was unbelievable,” Korda told reporters.
“I’m so grateful for it and so surprised with how many people came out and watched. They kept me in it. I didn’t think I even had a chance, and then obviously making the eagle on 17, I knew that I needed a birdie on 18 to even have a chance to get into a playoff.
“Just wow. Good ol’ Nelly fashion making it dramatic.”
Victory marks Korda’s ninth title on the LPGA Tour, and her first since she defended her Pelican Women’s Championship crown in November 2022. The $262,500 winner’s purse sees her cross the $9 million mark for LPGA Tour career earnings.
The world No. 4 will hope the triumph can act as a springboard to add to her lone major, the 2021 Women’s PGA Championship, though the golfer is aiming for some less stressful finishes – especially in light of sister and fellow LPGA Tour star Jessica Korda expecting her first child early this year.
“She [Jessica] was like, ‘I thought you were going to send me into labor!’” Korda said, laughing.
“Thankfully, baby is still in belly, so we’re good.”
After her 20th LPGA Tour triumph at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions last week, Ko had looked to be within touching distance of securing the 21st Tour title needed to secure automatic qualification into the LPGA Tour Hall of Fame.
The 26-year-old’s next win would see her become the first player to clinch automatic passage into the Hall of Fame since South Korea’s Inbee Park, who became the youngest ever inductee at 27 years old in 2016.
“It’s kind of like, what can you do? We played our hearts out until the very end and we put ourselves into the playoff,” Ko told reporters.
“All I can do is play the best golf I can and keep giving myself opportunities and, hopefully, [the Hall of Fame] will happen.”
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