No. 1 Nelly Korda wins LPGA’s the Annika for seventh title of the season

MIAMI – World No. 1 Nelly Korda captured her seventh LPGA title of the season and 15th career crown on Nov 17, firing a three-under 67 to win the Annika in Belleair, Florida.

The 26-year-old American, playing her first event since being sidelined by a neck injury in October, reeled off five consecutive back-nine birdies to seize the crown by three strokes at Pelican Golf Club.

“After taking some time off with an injury, it was great to be back out here. There’s nothing like being in the hunt. There’s nothing like the adrenaline feeling going on the back nine, being in contention. I love it so much,” Korda said.

South Korea’s Im Jin-hee (68), Zhang Weiwei (70) of China and England’s Charley Hull (71) shared second on 269, while Sweden’s Linn Grant (66) and American Rose Zhang (67) shared fifth on 270.

Rose Zhang had five birdies and one blemish, a double-bogey five at No. 12, on her scorecard.

“Honestly, 12 was just a little bit unlucky. I hit it on the green and it just rolled back into the water. So, I honestly don’t have any regrets for that hole either. Today, just in general, I was very solid and felt the adrenaline,” she said.

Hull led after the second and third rounds, but struggled in the final round.

“I just didn’t feel like I had the luck going my way, but Nelly played great and it was a lot of fun out there,” she said.

It was Korda’s third victory in the event after taking the 2021 and 2022 titles. It made her the first LPGA player since Taiwan’s Tseng Ya-ni in 2011 to win seven tournaments in a season.

Annika Sorenstam, the tournament namesake from Sweden, won 11 titles in 2002.

Korda is the first American to win seven LPGA titles in a season since Beth Daniel in 1990 and four of Korda’s victories, including the Nov 17 triumph, came when she trailed entering the final round.

The triumph ensured she will be a heavy favourite at the Nov 21-24 season-ending Tour Championship.

Korda added to a 2024 LPGA trophy haul that began in January at the Drive On Championship in her hometown of Bradenton, Florida.

It continued with wins at the Pak Se-ri Championship in Los Angeles, the Ford Championship and LPGA Match Play ahead of her second Major title at the Chevron Championship and the Americas Open in May, her most recent victory until Nov 17.

The neck injury kept Korda from playing in October in Asia and she had not walked a full 18 holes in nearly two months before arriving at the Pelican Golf Club.

Korda struggled early on with a bogey at the second hole, then sandwiched a birdie between bogeys at the sixth and eighth holes. But that only set the stage for her run of birdies from the 11th through 15th holes, going from two adrift to secure the lead for good.

“Not a lot of happy thoughts at the beginning. You should have felt the nerves I was feeling on the back nine,” she said. REUTERS, AFP