Nelly Korda already had established herself as the best in women's golf without argument.
She has beaten all but nine players in eight tournaments this year. Only once has she not played in the final group on Sunday. All she was lacking was the biggest championship on her calendar. The U.S. Women's Open is what inspired her from the time she first played in it at age 14.
“That's where my dream started,” she said.
The pressure was never greater than Sunday
at century-old Riviera Country Club when Korda had to chip and putt and grind to win the major she wanted more than all the others.
Korda is the first player since Inbee Park in 2013 to capture the first two legs of the calendar Grand Slam, and there are signs this could be the start of something special.
Park played with masterful control and sublime putting. She didn't overwhelm with style points. She won with remarkable efficiency.
Korda is more reminiscent of the previous player in pursuit of a Grand Slam, Annika Sorenstam in 2005, who won the first two majors by a combined 11 shots. Sorenstam was halfway home to a Grand Slam and miles ahead of everyone else.
Right now, no one is close to Korda.
The next major is three weeks away, the Women's PGA Championship, at Hazeltine National outside Minneapolis. It's a big ballpark, perfectly suited for the 27-year-old American star whose swing is the envy of most every golfer, male or female.
The last time the Women's PGA was at Hazeltine was in 2019. Korda was in her third year on the LPGA Tour with three career wins. She finished three shots behind.
Korda won her first major this year at the Chevron Championship in Houston, another big course, with a dominance not seen at an LPGA major in 35 years. She led the final 57 holes and was ahead by eight shots at one point on the weekend. She probably could have won by any margin if she didn't aim for the fat of the greens with victory in hand.
Equally impressive was the nail-biter at Riviera, where there was a four-way tie for the lead at various points in the final round.
Korda pulled ahead with a 9-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole.
“That putt is the reason why I'm here,” she said with the Women's Trophy at her side.
It won't be remembered as much as the short par putt for the one-shot victory over Gaby Lopez and Charley Hull. It was just inside 3 feet, though it traveled even farther because of the 10 inches the golf ball swirled around the 13-inch circumference of the cup before it disappeared.
She felt pressure, nerves, slight embarrassment and pure joy. On the packed hillside overlooking the 18th green there was a brief moment of panic that gave way to pandemonium. All those emotions took place in a 10-second window Korda will never forget.
“I don’t know if a weight has been lifted off of my shoulders, but I just think I’m just extremely proud of my fight this week and the dream of that little girl that you kind of get to check that off your bucket list,” she said.
That it happened at Riviera, the storied course off Sunset Boulevard, adds to the allure.
A Hollywood finish? Sure. But this was more about big-time players winning on big-time courses. It was the first time Riviera has hosted the Women's Open, giving Korda and other players a preview of the course that will host the 2028 Olympics.
Korda managed to keep it together when her swing, which felt so pure in the practice rounds, deserted her in an opening round of 73 that left her seven shots behind. It wasn't as bad as the 10 she made on her third hole of the 2024 Women's Open at Lancaster Country Club. This time, she had a fighting chance and fought to the finish.
She saved par 24 out of the 30 times she missed the green. She birdied the final three holes Saturday to share the 54-hole lead and get into the final group (again). She never had the lead until that birdie putt on the 17th hole Sunday.
Key to the resurgence was returning to what Korda refers to as her bubble. She won seven times in 2024 and felt the weight of outside expectations when she put together similar statistic in 2025 without a single victory. Now she is back to her bubble, accepting that mistakes will happen, not concerned with much more than the next shot.
She is leaving herself written messages on her bathroom mirror.
“I wrote one today and I said, ‘Whatever happens, happens; just give it a 100%.’ And that’s what I did,” Korda said Sunday.
Another message came from Tiger Woods, whom Korda met for the first time at the PNC Championship in 2021. They have stayed in touch, and Korda said he sent her a text ahead of the final round at Riviera that said, “Finish it off.”
That she did. And there is a feeling she might be just getting started.
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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
