2024-01-28 22:53:00
Nellie Korda (26, USA) won the LPGA Tour for the first time in one year and two months following an extended match with Lydia Go (27, New Zealand). Lydia Go postponed her entry into the Hall of Fame until another opportunity.
Nelly Korda is taking a tee shot on the second hole of the fourth round of the LPGA Tour Drive-On Championship at Bradenton Country Club in Florida, USA on the 29th./AFP Yonhap News
Korda finished the 4th round of the Drive On Championship (total prize money, $1.75 million) held at Bradenton Country Club (par 71, 6,657 yards) in Florida, USA on the 29th, tied for 2nd place and 4 strokes ahead of Megan Kang (27, USA). Started in the lead. On a very windy day, Korda did not get a birdie until the 16th hole. He recorded bogeys on the 5th hole (par 4) and the 14th hole (par 4), and in the 15th hole (par 3), he dropped his tee shot into the water, resulting in a double bogey, allowing him to share the lead with Lydia Go and Kang. Korda recorded a bogey on the 16th hole (par 4), while Lydia Go had an eagle on the 17th hole (par 5), taking the lead by 3 strokes.
Lydia Go finished first with a final total of 273 strokes, 11 under par. Lydia Ko’s win for the second week in a row and her entry into the Hall of Fame seemed almost confirmed. However, Korda created a twist by dropping 3 strokes in the last two holes. She recorded an eagle on the 17th hole (par 5) and a birdie on the 18th hole (par 4), tying with Lydia Ko. The first playoff hole held at the 18th hole was tied with par. In the second playoff hole match held at the 18th hole, Lydia Ko’s par putt hit the hole, and then Korda calmly put in a par putt to confirm the win. The winning prize is $262,500 (regarding 350 million won).
Korda, who maintained the lead from the first round of this competition, achieved a wire-to-wire victory. This is her 9th win on the LPGA Tour. She was unable to win another LPGA tour last year due to a back injury, and won only once on the European tour. Korda was ranked No. 1 in the world for a total of 37 weeks on five occasions from June 2021 to August last year. The current world ranking is 4th. Korda was born, raised, and still lives in the Bradenton, Florida area where the event was held.
Lydia Ko is happy following hitting an eagle on the 17th hole in the fourth round of the LPGA Tour Drive-On Championship at Bradenton Country Club in Florida, USA on the 29th./AFP Yonhap News
If Lydia Ko had won this tournament, she might have added one final point needed for entry into the LPGA Hall of Fame, but unfortunately she missed out. Lydia Go collected 26 of the 27 points needed to enter the Hall of Fame by winning the opening game of the 2024 season on the 22nd. Among Korean players, Kim Se-young (31) ranked highest, tied for 13th place (3 under par). Lee So-mi (25), who made her official debut as an LPGA tour rookie in this tournament, tied for 16th place (2 under par), and Sung Yu-jin (24) tied for 35th place (2 over par).
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