Nelly Korda has a heater on and is the undisputed No. 1 golfer in the world.
She won four straight LPGA tournaments, defeating Leona Maguire 4&3 to claim the LPGA Match Play trophy. This is her 12th LPGA victory.
Korda became the first player since Lorena Ochoa in 2008 to win four consecutive games as a starter. Annika Sorenstam achieved it in 2001, then went on to win two consecutive five times in her career in 2004 and 2005.
But that’s it. This is a list of women who have won four in a row so far.
Her run began at the LPGA Drive-On Championship in Bradenton, Florida, where she came from behind to win. Korda took seven weeks off and she scored her second win in the Far Hills Seripak Championship playoffs. After that victory, Korda returned to world No.1.
Last week, Korda won his third straight Ford Championship in Arizona.
The 25-year-old is currently on an incredible four-game winning streak on a completely different type of golf course, with some tough weather conditions and breaks in between. This shows how well Korda can adapt.
When asked if he could explain this run, Korda answered candidly.
“No. It was just a whirlwind,” Korda said. “It was a great time and it was a lot of fun to do that again here in match play. There’s a different kind of adrenaline as you play the first two events and get into the second half. In match play, from the first hole I feel like I can do that, so it was a great day playing against Leona. They’re always great competitors. But I’m happy to get the fourth one.”
She held the lead all day.
Korda won four of the first seven holes. Maguire stopped the bleeding at nine and cut the gap to three down, but the world’s No. 1 golfer won the next hole and wiped out any momentum.
she extended her lead Maguire reached 5UP after 12 holes before fighting back.
The Irishman won back-to-back on the 13th and 14th holes, but Korda finished on the 15th hole to win 4&3.
“Nellie is probably the best golfer in the world, male or female,” Maguire said.
Two Solheim Cup players competed against each other.
Coming into this game, Maguire had a 3-1 record against Korda in match play. The Team USA veteran didn’t give up.
“This golf course is so tough that the pars will go a long way,” she said. She said, “I try to stay in my bubble, hit the fairways, aim for the greens, and not make mistakes, and that’s what I did today.”
No matter what adversity he faced, Korda overcame it. She heads into her first major of the year on a four-game winning streak and has her sights set on a fifth straight major victory and the Chevron Championship in two weeks.
Savannah Lee Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through.If you want to know more about golf, please follow us. @_PlayingThrough On all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirls and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.
