World No 1 Nelly Korda went on a five-hole birdie burst to claim her seventh LPGA Tour title of 2024 as 54-hole leader Charley Hull faded in the final round of The ANNIKA in Florida.
Hull led Korda and China’s Weiwei Zhang by one shot going into Sunday but then carded a one-over 71 – an erratic front nine featured three bogeys and two birdies – to end on 11 under.
Korda, who triumphed with a score of 14 under, also stuttered coming out with three bogeys and a solitary gain, but sizzled on her back nine, picking up five shots on the trot between 11 and 15.
Hull made just one birdie during that stretch as her hopes of a second title this month – after the Aramco Team Series Riyadh on the Ladies European Tour – evaporated and she also bogeyed her penultimate hole.
Korda signed for a three-under 67 to finish three strokes clear of Hull, Zhang and South Korea’s Jin Hee Im, with Sweden’s Linn Grant and USA’s Rose Zhang sharing fifth on 10 under.
Korda has won The ANNIKA three times in four years after going back-to-back in 2021 and 2022, with the 26-year-old to now head to next week’s season-ending CME Group Tour Championship – also in Florida – full of confidence after a dramatic year.
Korda (right) and Hull embrace after the American won The ANNIKA for a third time in four years
Korda wins again after headline-making season
Korda won six times in seven starts between January and May, with a record-equalling run of five straight LPGA Tour titles culminating in victory at the Chevron Championship as she scooped her second major trophy after the 2021 Women’s PGA Championship.
However, Korda then missed three cuts in a row, including at the US Women’s Open and Women’s PGA Championship as she shot rounds of 80 or above in both.
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She took a break from the game from September until this week after a neck injury that she feels was triggered by severe migraines which only sleep and being in the dark could quell.
Korda said after winning The ANNIKA: “It feels great to be back out here and there’s nothing like being in the hunt.
“There’s nothing like the adrenaline flowing on the back nine and being in contention. I love it so much.”
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.
