– Now I can finally breathe out and enjoy the moment. The last nine holes are the longest I have played in my entire life, the nerves kicked in when I was so close to winning a competition I dreamed of since I was a small child, said Korda in Viaplay’s broadcast after the marathon round that took over six hours to play.
Maja Stark crept up from behind and finished in a sensational second place, just like Ludvig Åberg at The Masters last week. Stark finished with two birdies and came close to getting an eagle on the last hole. When the birdie putt sat, she was one shot behind Korda, who was under pressure. Stark had 69 strokes going into the final lap and was two strokes behind Korda overall.
Led for a while by four strokes
At the last hole, mother and father Petr, who won the Australian Open tennis Grand Slam in 1998, were waiting.
Korda finished with a putt from one meter and a quiet victory hug took hold on the green before heading off for a dip in the adjacent pond.
On the tenth hole, Korda showed world class. She chipped the ball onto the green in a strong wind and sank for birdie from around ten meters and made a small gesture of victory – increasing the lead to four strokes.
“I don’t mind”
The record on the LPGA tour was held by Nancy Lopez in 1978 and Annika Sörenstam in 2004-05, who then won five competitions in a row. The duo has now been joined by world number one Nelly Korda.
– It’s clear that it’s fun. I don’t mind it. It’s good for the women’s tour and good for her in every way. I know what my record is and then if it is shared it doesn’t bother me at all, it’s rather fun to see women’s golf grow, Sörenstam said a couple of days ago to SVT Sport and told that she watched Korda grow up and not least followed her in their own organized competitions.