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Important update on 1476AMKorda world No. 1 again after third major win
AP • April 27th, 2026 10:50 am
Nely Korda | Photo: AP
Nelly Korda won The Chevron Championship with a performance worthy of her return to No. 1 in women's golf.
Enjoying to a five-stroke lead to start Monday (NZ time), Korda was efficient as ever and no one could get closer than four shots at Memorial Park. She closed with a two-under 70 for a five-shot victory to capture the third major of her career.
The victory was her 17th on the LPGA Tour and 21st worldwide, and it was enough for the 27-year-old American star to move back to the top of the women's world ranking for the first time since August.
Korda not only won wire-to-wire, it was never really a contest. She hit 5-iron to five feet for birdie on her 16th hole of Friday's opening round to take the lead and never trailed again.
As easy as Korda made it look, it felt like a struggle.
"That was a hard weekend," she said.
"Honestly, having that big of a lead, it's not easy. It was definitely one of the hardest things I've had to do mentally ... Just happy to get it done."
She celebrated in the best manner possible — a cannon ball into the pool built to the right of the 18th green to keep with the tradition at this major that dates to 1988 when the winner jumped into Poppie's Pond at Mission Hills in the California desert.
Korda joined Juli Inkster (1989) and Amy Alcott (1991) as the only players in the last 50 years to win LPGA majors when leading by multiple shots after each round.
About the only drama in the final hour — all weekend, really — was whether Korda could break Dottie Pepper's 72-hole scoring record that has stood since 1999.
She finished at 18-under 270, one short of Pepper's record at Mission Hills.
China's Ruoning Yin (69) and Patty Tavatanakit (70) of Thailand tied for second, while Hannah Green (68) was the best-placed Australian in joint seventh at six under.
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Compatriots Cassie Porter (74) finished one under, Minjee Lee (73) one over and Karis Davidson (76) five over.
Korda won $US1.35 million ($NZ2.29m) for a victory that puts her back as the best in women's golf without any debate. She won seven times in 2024, including a record-tying five in a row she capped off with a victory at The Chevron when it was at Carlton Woods.
This was the first time the LPGA's opening major was held at Memorial Park, a big golf course that had been redesigned for the Houston Open on the PGA Tour.
