BELLEAIR – Nelly Korda overwhelmed herself on the 17th Green Sunday at the Pelican Women’s Championship.
The world number one, who entered the finals of the LPGA Tour event at the Pelican Golf Club with Lexi Thompson, sat back with a triple bogey to fall two strokes out of the lead.
Korda’s caddy Jason McDede held her encouragingly.
“I want you to take this minute and think positive thoughts,” McDede told her as they walked to the 18th tee. “No negativity.”
A home win for the number 1 in the world pic.twitter.com/4DTRfa1Smc
– Sports by Tampa Bay Times (@TBTimes_Sports) November 14, 2021
Korda sank a 19-foot birdie putt on 18. A second straight bogey from Thompson, one of her playing partners in the last three, sent the final round into a four-way playoff with defending champions Sei Young Kim and Lydia Ko.
A 12-foot birdie putt from Korda on the first playoff hole gave her the win, her fourth of the year. She joined Jin Young Ko for the most wins on the tour that year, and the Bradenton native became the most victorious American in a season since Stacy Lewis won four times in 2012.
“I almost lost my faith,” said Korda of her debacle on 17th. “I was like, ‘Okay, time to focus on the next week’. I’ve just found what is probably the best putt, putted twice in a row and it went really well. “
After a four-way playoff, Nelly Korda wins @pelicanlpga pic.twitter.com/oATUE7pHTZ
– Sports by Tampa Bay Times (@TBTimes_Sports) November 14, 2021
Korda shot 1-under 69, Thompson 69, Kim 67 and Ko 66 when they finished 17-under 263.
After Ko and Kim parried the first playoff hole, the Par-4 18th, Korda’s birdie stood up after Thompson’s six-foot putt rolled.
“Played a lot of good golf, done a lot of good putts,” said Thompson, “and in the end it just wasn’t meant for me.”
Thompson has played 38 tournaments since her last Tour win. At the US Women’s Open that year, she lost a five-shot lead on the second nine and missed the playoff by one shot with two bogeys.
Korda secured her place at number 1 in the world rankings and went 12 points ahead of knockout as LPGA player of the year before the Tour Championship next weekend in Naples.
“I knew exactly what Nelly was like, if she gets an opportunity she’ll try to take it,” said Korda’s older sister Jessica, who shot 67 and finished in 11th place with 12. “That’s how she is, and she shows it week after week.”
Nelly Korda, who won Olympic gold this year, takes her fourth Tour win this season. [ BEN SOLOMON | Ben Solomon/Pelican Women’s Championship ]
On the par 4 17th hole, Korda thought she had “no hit” after her ball landed in the rough. Her chipshot rolled down a bunker and the fourth shot cleared the sand trap but rolled past the flag. Three putts later, she had a triple bogey.
“I was just trying to shake it off,” said Korda. “I was pretty pissed off. I definitely had a few R-rated words going through my head, probably out of my mouth, but the nice thing about Jason is that I can kind of blow him and he kind of picks it up, but it’s not aimed at him. I can just take a breath and get everything out, and then I can concentrate. “
Korda took home $ 262,500, which increased her seasonal profit to $ 2,237,157.
Nelly pic.twitter.com/jnpDnfWBQP
– Sports by Tampa Bay Times (@TBTimes_Sports) November 14, 2021
“It was insane,” said Korda of her season, which included an Olympic gold medal and felt like two. “I put a lot of work into it, but being mentally in these positions and playing under pressure week after week definitely takes its toll.”
Seminole-born Brittany Lincicome, 74, was 6 under and Brittany Altomare, 70, who lives in Tampa, was 3 under.
Another ace for a car
Su Oh cracked the 12th hole par-3 and became the third player during the tournament week to sign a two-year lease on a new Lamborghini with a hole-in-one on May 12th.
“When I met him, I thought, ‘Oh my god. Go in the hole, ‘”Oh said after her 3 under 67. She finished 3 under.
Oh followed Austin Ernst’s hole-in-one on the 12th in a Pro-Am Monday and Pavarisa Yoktuan in the second round on Friday.
If the players waive the two-year lease, they will receive an unspecified cash prize.
Contact Mari Faiello at [email protected]. Follow @faiello_mari.