Nelly Korda is on a career-defining run heading into the LPGA’s first major championship of the year.
She swept through the T-Mobile Match Play, dusting Leona Maguire, 4 and 3, on Sunday at Shadow Creek in Las Vegas, Nevada, for her fourth consecutive victory.
“It’s just been a whirlwind,” Korda said. “Been an amazing time. To do it here in Match Play has been so much fun. It was a great day playing against Leona, who is a great competitor.”
Korda saluted her caddie, Jason McDede, and her support team for a solid pre-match plan that she put into play.
“What we just said is that this golf course is so tough. Pars are going to go a long way. Stay in your own bubble. Hit fairways. Hit greens. Try not to make mistakes, and I did that today.”
Korda, a 25-year-old American, is the first player to win four in a row since Lorena Ochoa in 2008. She can tie the LPGA record for consecutive victories shared by legends Nancy Lopez and Annika Sörenstam by winning the Chevron Championship next week at The Woodlands, Texas.
Nelly Korda
With her 12th career LPGA title, Korda solidified her No. 1 world ranking, but not before she found herself in danger earlier in the week of even qualifying for the eight-woman match play.
Korda opened with consecutive 1-over 73s in the stroke-play portion of the revised hybrid format before a cut was made for the third stroke-play round. Faced with the need for a low number to qualify for the weekend matches, she birdied four of her final eight holes Friday to shoot 3-under 69 for a 1-under 215 total and advance as the No. 6 seed.
From there, Korda left little room for drama. She never saw the 17th tee in defeating Angel Yin, 3 and 2, in the quarterfinals and then Narin An, 4 and 3, in the semifinals.
The final against Maguire, a 29-year-old Irishwoman who led the 54-hole stroke-play qualifying at 6-under 210 to earn the top seed, was just as one-sided for Korda, who never trailed in any of her three matches.
“I didn’t feel like I did a lot wrong,” Maguire said. “Nelly just did a lot more right.”
Maguire made bogey on the second hole to hand Korda an early lead. After they matched birdies at the par-4 third and made pars at the par-5 fifth, Korda went eagle-birdie-birdie to go 4-up through seven and set a decisive tone.
Maguire drew a small measure of hope when Korda three-putted the ninth for a bogey, trimming the deficit to 3-down at the turn. Korda responded by winning two of the next three holes to go 5-up with six to play. The gritty Maguire won Nos. 13 and 14 with birdies to trim Korda’s lead to 3-up with four to play and keep it somewhat respectable before Korda closed out the match with a two-putt par to win the 15th and secure the title.
“I just wanted to keep her on the golf course as long as possible,” Maguire said.
Steve Harmon