World No 1 Nelly Korda went on a five-hole birdie burst to assert her seventh LPGA Tour title of 2024 as 54-hole chief Charley Hull light within the ultimate spherical of The ANNIKA in Florida.
Hull led Korda and China’s Weiwei Zhang by one shot going into Sunday however then carded a one-over 71 – an erratic entrance 9 featured three bogeys and two birdies – to finish on 11 beneath.
Korda, who triumphed with a rating of 14 beneath, additionally stuttered popping out with three bogeys and a solitary acquire, however sizzled on her again 9, choosing up 5 photographs on the trot between 11 and 15.
Hull made only one birdie throughout that stretch as her hopes of a second title this month – after the Aramco Crew Collection Riyadh on the Girls European Tour – evaporated and she or he additionally bogeyed her penultimate gap.
Korda signed for a three-under 67 to complete three strokes away from Hull, Zhang and South Korea’s Jin Hee Im, with Sweden’s Linn Grant and USA’s Rose Zhang sharing fifth on 10 beneath.
Korda has gained The ANNIKA thrice in 4 years after going back-to-back in 2021 and 2022, with the 26-year-old to now head to subsequent week’s season-ending CME Group Tour Championship – additionally in Florida – filled with confidence after a dramatic 12 months.
Korda (proper) and Hull embrace after the American gained The ANNIKA for a 3rd time in 4 years
Korda wins once more after headline-making season
Korda gained six occasions in seven begins between January and Might, with a record-equalling run of 5 straight LPGA Tour titles culminating in victory on the Chevron Championship as she scooped her second main trophy after the 2021 Girls’s PGA Championship.
Nevertheless, Korda then missed three cuts in a row, together with on the US Girls’s Open and Girls’s PGA Championship as she shot rounds of 80 or above in each.
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She took a break from the sport from September till this week after a neck damage that she feels was triggered by extreme migraines which solely sleep and being at nighttime might quell.
Korda mentioned after successful The ANNIKA: “It feels great to be back out here and there’s nothing like being in the hunt.
“There’s nothing just like the adrenaline flowing on the again 9 and being in competition. I adore it a lot.”
Hull was looking for her third LPGA Tour title and first since the Volunteers of America Classic in October 2022 but had to settle for joint second as Korda tasted a first tournament victory since the Mizuho Americas Open six months ago.
Watch round one of the CME Group Tour Championship, from Naples in Florida, live on Sky Sports Golf, Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports+ from 8pm on Thursday, with coverage continuing for all four days. Stream with NOW.
