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PALOS VERDES ESTATES, Calif. — Nelly Korda took seven weeks off and nothing modified. She gained once more on the LPGA Tour and made it much more thrilling than it wanted to be.
Korda made bogey on her final two holes Sunday to fall right into a playoff within the Fir Hills Seri Pak Championship, after which ended it shortly with a 12-foot birdie putt on the primary additional gap to beat Ryann O’Toole and return to No. 1 within the ladies’s world rating.
“I am getting older myself actually shortly out right here,” the 25-year-old Korda stated.
Korda, who closed with a 2-under 69, gained for the second time this 12 months, each of them involving shocking collapses and wonderful revivals. She gained the Drive On Championship in Florida in January by dropping 4 photographs in three holes on the again 9, solely to rally with an eagle-birdie end to beat Lydia Ko.
She hasn’t performed since then, skipping the Asia swing and returning this week with somewhat little bit of rust that did not take lengthy to shake off. Korda seized management by smashing a fairway steel up the hill on the par-5 14th. The ball caught a slope behind the inexperienced and rolled right down to 18 ft, and she or he made the eagle putt.
O’Toole holed a 20-foot par putt on the 18th for a 66, and that good just for second place. After which Korda made it attention-grabbing.
She missed a 5-foot par putt on the fifteenth gap. She went simply over the inexperienced on the par-5 sixteenth with a 7-iron and made birdie. She got here up brief on the par-3 seventeenth and missed a 6-foot par putt. After which she went lengthy on the 18th and failed to avoid wasting par once more.
“Eagle, bogey, birdie, bogey, bogey. Yeah,” Korda stated. “I say this on a regular basis, however I appear to all the time make it attention-grabbing. Simply doing regular Nelly issues, making it attention-grabbing.”
They completed at 9-under 275, and the playoff ended shortly.
O’Toole hit 7-iron from the fitting tough to about 15 ft and her birdie putt burned the sting of the cup. Korda hit 8-iron to 12 ft and poured it in for her tenth profession LPGA title.
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“No less than I gave it my finest try,” O’Toole stated. “That placing might have gone both means. Nelly performed actually nice. Clearly, final couple holes for her put her within the place to be in a playoff with me. Hey, I got here from behind and gave it my finest probability. I am unable to be extra proud.”
Korda determined to skip the whole Asia swing, giving her almost two months off. It helped that her swing coach, Jamie Mulligan, works down the street at Virginia Nation Membership in Lengthy Seaside and was in a position to work together with her after every spherical.
It additionally helped to calm her anger after the bogey-bogey end.
“I vented to my coach on the placing inexperienced after which he requested me if I am able to be optimistic. Took somewhat bit after which I used to be prepared,” Korda stated. “After which we talked somewhat bit, laughed somewhat bit. He is actually good at simply cracking jokes, which generally I simply give him a pity giggle.”
After which she reminded herself that regardless of the sloppy end, the trophy was nonetheless in her sights.
Making it more durable have been brutal situations of wind and chilly. O’Toole was sporting ear muffs when she holed her clutch putt on the finish of regulation.
Korda appeared to embrace the problem.
“The weekend was brutal,” she stated. “It is also the great thing about the sport. It is enjoyable to have the ability to play in these situations and be somewhat extra inventive.”
Jiyai Shin, a former world No. 1 who has been the highest participant on 4 worldwide excursions, shared the lead going into the ultimate spherical however fell again for good with a three-putt double bogey on the twelfth. She closed with a 73 and tied for fifth.
Gabriela Ruffels (70) and Alison Lee (72) tied for third. Ruffels wanted a birdie on the ultimate gap to affix the playoff.
Korda replaces Lilia Vu on the high of the ladies’s world rating.
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