If American women’s golf is looking for a new fresh face for its game, it need look no farther than Nelly Korda.
Korda is young — she turns 23 next month — and intelligent and fearless and photogenic and well-spoken. Her rhythmic swing is crafted for success. She checks a lot of boxes when it comes to Q Scores.
And, boy, can she play.
Korda started Sunday’s final tied for the lead at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and never showed any sign of frayed nerves. Korda remained cool on a hot afternoon at the Atlanta Athletic Club that required her to occasionally seek shelter under her sponsor-branded blue umbrella. She shot a 4-under 68 to finish at 19-under 269 to win the season’s third major championship by three shots over veteran Lizette Salas, who gamely stayed with her for three-quarters of the final round, shot a 1-under 71 and finished three shots behind.
Credit: Daniel Varnado
Credit: Daniel Varnado
“It’s been amazing, honestly,” Korda said. “The past few days, the battle with Lizette, it’s been a lot of fun. It’s been stressful. I think it’s had everything.”
The win was Korda’s first in a major championship and marked the fifth time in six years the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship has produced a first-time major winner. She became the first American to win a major since Angela Stanford took the 2018 Evian Championship.
It was the second straight victory for Korda — who won the Meijer LPGA Classic — her third of the season and the sixth win of her career. It ensured her place on the U.S. Olympic team.
And it boosted Korda to No. 1 in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings. She is the first American to hold that spot since Stacy Lewis in October 2014.
“A dream come true. A major championship and No. 1 in the world,” Korda said. “It this week even real?”
Credit: Daniel Varnado
Credit: Daniel Varnado
And when she coaxed a 10-foot comebacker for par into the final hole, Korda was greeted by her older sister, Jessica — who gave her little sis a good-luck hug earlier on the first tee as she was making the turn en route to a tie for 15th — and her mother. Several of Korda’s friends were there to splash her with water champagne. Dad was in London, waiting to connect via video chat.
“Everything was on and when you look back on weeks like this, it’s really special,” she said. “And you don’t take it for granted.”
It was a two-player race all day between Korda and Salas. The enthusiastic fans recognized it and thousands walked with the final pairing for most of the afternoon. The two women did not disappoint. Korda kept bombing it and hitting short irons into the green. Salas, the shorter hitter, stayed alive with her stellar long irons and hybrids.
“We both had different game plans,” Salas said. “When you’re a longer player, you can definitely attack these pins, but I gave it all I had.”
Korda took a one-shot advantage on the third hole when she rolled in a 15-footer for birdie and stretched to lead to two with an eagle on the fifth hole, when she hit a 243-yard 7-wood that finished a foot shy of the hole. Salas had to make a 10-footer for birdie to lose only one stroke there.
“Honestly, that never left the flag,” Korda said. “Right as I hit it, I was like, ‘Be good!’ ”
Salas got one shot back with a birdie on the sixth hole, where the tees were again pushed forward to 246 yards to encourage aggressive play. Salas pitched to within three feet and made the birdie to trim the lead to one shot.
Credit: Daniel Varnado
Credit: Daniel Varnado
The big turnaround came at No. 12, where Korda benefited from a three-shot swing. Korda took an aggressive line on the par-5 and dropped her approach 20 feet from the hole location. Salas hit her third shot over the green and into the bunker, then failed to get up and down for par. Korda made the eagle putt, gave a slight fist pump and suddenly had a four-shot advantage. She played the par-5 holes in 11-under for the week.
Korda gained another shot at the 14th with a 20-foot birdie that stretched the lead to five. Her only stumble came at the par-3 15th — her least favorite on the course — where her tee shot never had a chance and splashed in the middle of the pond. She finished with a double bogey, which ended a stretch of 49 bogey-free holes, but still enjoyed a three-stroke lead with three to play. Both players parred their way home.
“I didn’t get that trophy, but I think I accomplished more than what I had expected,” Salas said. “I think this is the start of something great.”
The only one to emerge from the pack as a minor challenger was Giulia Molinaro, who was born in Italy, grew up in Kenya and played college golf at Arizona State. She eagled the fifth hole to reach minus-12 and was momentarily within three shots of the lead. She shot 72 and wound up at 10-under, tied with Korea’s Joo Hyo Kim, who shot 68.
Riverdale’s Mariah Stackhouse closed with a 70 and tied for 33rd at even par.
About the Author
