Nelly Korda edges out Lydia Ko in Florida
Lydia Ko – near miss cost her Hall of Fame entry but her time will come – file image LPGA / Getty Images
The final hour of play at the LPGA Drive On Championship in Bradenton, Florida provided some of the most dramatic and high-quality golf as former World Number One’s, Nelly Korda and Lydia Ko, duked it out in a tense final-round battle before Korda prevailed at the second extra hole of a playoff to win her 9th LPGA Tour title.
It was a day that saw massive lead changes. Korda began the final round four ahead of Ko and was actually six ahead of the New Zealander after Ko had double-bogeyed her 3rd hole of the day.
Korda, though, would struggle for much of the round and by the time she reached the 17th tee she was 5 over for the day and three behind Ko who had bounced back from her early stumble with several birdies to eagle the 17th after a stunning hybrid to less than a foot.
Behind Korda needed a near miracle to catch Ko and she was about to produce just that. Her approach to the 17th finish 20 feet behind the flag and when she holed that her chances of an unlikely victory depended on a birdie at the last.
Her approach finished a foot from the hole and when she converted Ko and Korda were headed to a playoff which Korda would eventually win with a save from behind the green while Ko, who had also saved par on the first playoff hole, three putted from 25 feet.
“Gosh, I thought that the tournament was over going into 17,” said Korda who is a member at the venue. “I just kind of gave myself a chance. I knew that if I rolled that eagle in, I had to birdie the last hole.
“Yeah, I seem to always make it very dramatic and interesting, so there is no better feeling than to do it in front of a home crowd.
“I think even when I was down they were so, so positive and keeping me in it. It was such a grind out there, so back and forth. I felt like I never really got anything going. But, I mean, I just can’t even believe it right now.”
For Ko the loss was doubly disappointing as not only did she not win her opening two events of the year, she missed out on qualification for the LPGA Hall of Fame which the victory would have given her.
Still, her time will surely come and she said as much after the playoff.
“To be honest, obviously I three-putted the second playoff hole, but other than that I don’t feel like I lost the tournament. You know, I made a great eagle on 17, great par on 18, and then Nelly just went eagle as well and then birdied the last.
“So, it’s kind of like what can you do? We played our hearts out until the very end and we put ourself into the playoff. You know, I tried my best out there. I don’t know, like I think every situation a very different. I think I was a lot calmer last week than I thought I was going to be. I was a lot calmer I think today than I thought I was going to be.
“So, it’s just I think depends on the situation. Always nice to be able to come down the last with a few-shot lead or cushion. It’s always nice.
“All I can do is play the best golf I can and keep giving myself opportunities and hopefully it will happen.”
Nelly Korda – image courtesy of Getty Images
