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Nelly Korda returned to the top of the world rankings as she seized victory at the LPGA 2022 Pelican Women's Championship on Sunday, November 13. This is the American's second consecutive Pelican Championships title.
The penultimate event on the LPGA Tour was held from November 10 to 13 at the Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Florida.
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The 72-hole tournament was shortened to 54 holes due to the underlying tropical storm Nicole in Florida. Korda began her fourth round two strokes behind 36-hole leader Allisen Corpuz.
Korda was in stunning form as she rallied six birdies across the 7th to 17th hole. She was eventually locked in a battle with Lexi Thompson, but firing birdies on the 16th and 17th hole helped her eventually finish 6 under 64 for a one-shot victory at the Pelican Championships. Overall, she finished 14-under 196. Thomson finished runner-up by scoring 4 under 66.
The scenario was unlike last year when Korda and Thompson battled to finish tied, which led to a playoff. Korda won the event by hitting a birdie.
Meanwhile, Allisen Corpuz, an LPGA rookie who entered the fourth round with a one-shot lead, finished third by scoring at 3 under 69.
Korda missed most of the early half of the season as she had a blood clot in her arm that required surgery, which saw her name drop in the world rankings. Her only victory this season was winning the individual title at the Aramco Team Series in August.
This was her first LPGA tour victory this season, and her tears vividly showed how important the victory was to her.
“Honestly, amazing,” she said about her return to No. 1. “It’s been a tough year. I missed two cuts in Arkansas and Dallas, but I kept my head high and worked really hard. It feels really good to be on top.”
With the win, Nelly Korda took home a first-place prize money payout of $300,000 from an overall purse of $2 million.
Nelly Korda looks forward to the CME Group Tour Championship
Her victory in Florida has helped her regain the World No. 1 spot. This will be Nelly Korda's third stint at the top of the world rankings, with the previous two rounding up to 29 weeks. This also guarantees her a spot at the season-ending Tour Championships next week in Naples.
This year, the top 63 players in the Race to the CME Globe will compete in a prestigious event as three players will not be going. The finale comes with a $7 million prize purse with the winner taking home $2 million.
Nelly Korda looked comfortable playing at her home ground in Belleair.
“I had good memories on this golf course,” Korda said. “I was home. I had the comfort level of my parents being in the crowd, too, which plays a part.”
Nelly Korda, who has won eight LPGA titles, looks positive for her stint at the Tour Championships next week.
“But for now, I'm just going to enjoy this win, and once I wake up tomorrow, I'll make my way down to Naples and get ready, get my body ready, mind ready to prep going into a new week.”
The CME Group Tour Championship is scheduled from November 17 to 20 at Tiburon Golf Club, Naples, Florida.
