PALOS VERDES ESTATES, Calif. (AP) – Nelly Korda bogeyed her final two holes Sunday to fall into a playoff and quickly atoned for it, making a 12-foot birdie putt to beat Ryann O’Toole at the Fir Hills Seri Pak Championship to return to No. 1 in the world.
Korda, who closed with a 2-under 69, won for the second time this year, and both had stunning collapses and stunning recoveries.
“I’m getting old really fast out here,” Korda, 25, said.
She won the Drive On Championship in Florida in January by dropping four shots in three holes on the back nine, only to rally with an eagle-birdie finish to beat Lydia Ko.
Korda, playing for the first time since that Drive On win in late January, took control by chipping a metal up the hill at the par-5 14th. The ball caught a slope to the back of the green and rolled to 18 feet, and he made the eagle putt.
O’Toole holed a 20-foot par putt on the 18th for a 66, and that looked only good for second place. But then Korda missed the par-3 17th and missed a 6-foot putt, and went long on the 18th for another bogey.
They finished at 9-under 275 and the playoffs ended quickly.
O’Toole hit a 7-iron from the right rough to about 15 feet and her birdie putt burned the tip of the cup. Korda hit the 8-iron to 12 feet and putted for her 10th career LPGA title.
Korda decided to skip the entire Asia swing, giving her almost two months off. She felt rusty at first and grew more intense as the week went on. It helped that her swing coach, Jamie Mulligan, works down the road at Virginia Country Club in Long Beach and was able to work with her after each round.
βThat really helped,β Korda said. “It’s not easy to come back after a long break, not knowing where your game is.”
Making it more difficult were the brutal wind and cold conditions. O’Toole was wearing earplugs when she holed her clutch putt at the end of regulation.
Korda seemed to embrace the challenge.
“The weekend was brutal,” he said. “It’s also the beauty of the game. It’s fun to be able to play in those conditions and be a little more artistic.”
Former world No. 1 Jiyai Shin, who has been the top player on four world tours, shared the lead in the final round but fell behind for good with a three-point double bogey at the 12th. He closed with a 73 and tied for fifth.
Gabriella Ruffels (70) and Alison Lee (72) tied for third. Raffels needed a birdie on the final hole to make the playoff.
Korda replaces Lilia Vu at the top of the women’s world rankings.