Jessica Korda birdied four of the last five holes on Sunday to win the Airbus LPGA Classic in Mobile, Alabama, and claim her third career LPGA victory.
The 21-year-old fired a bogey-free seven-under-par 65, playing the last nine holes in six-under 30 to finish 72 holes on 20-under-par 268 and defeat Sweden’s Anna Nordqvist by one stroke.
The triumph followed wins at the 2012 Australian Women’s Open and this year’s season opener in the Bahamas. Korda gave much of the credit for her performance on Sunday to how well the Robert Trent Jones Trail Crossings course matched her skills.
Photo: AFP
Korda birdied the par-four seventh, but was still well off the pace until the back nine. She began the back nine with a birdie, added another at 12 and sank a curvy 12-footer at the 14th to begin a run of three, including a tense 15-footer at 15 and a tap-in at the par-five 16th to seize a two-stroke lead.
At 18, Korda curled in a birdie putt that forced Nordqvist to make an eagle to match her. The Swede dropped a long birdie putt, but it only trimmed Korda’s victory margin.
Korda became the third multi-event winner on the LPGA Tour this season, joining Nordqvist and Australian Karrie Webb.
England’s Charley Hull, Scotland’s Catriona Matthew and the US’ Michelle Wie shared third on 270, with South Korean Jenny Shin on 271 and the US’ Lexi Thompson, South Korean Ji Eun-hee and England’s Jodi Ewart Shadoff on 272.
World No. 2 Stacy Lewis of the US had the chance to overtake South Korean In-bee Park atop the rankings, but failed to get the solo third-place finish or better on Sunday that she needed to become No. 1. Lewis fired a 71 to settle for share of 10th on 273.
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