Nelly Korda drilled a birdie putt on the first playoff gap to beat Ryann O’Toole within the LPGA Seri Pak Championship, the place Korda’s second title in as many begins secured her return to world primary.
Korda hadn’t performed since beating Lydia Ko in a playoff to win the Drive On Championship in Florida seven weeks in the past.
However after shaking off some rust early within the week she battled by the “brutal” windy circumstances at Palos Verdes Golf Membership to emerge with the tenth LPGA title of her profession.
Korda led by three after an eagle on the 14th however closed with back-to-back bogeys in a two-under-par 69 to fall right into a tie on nine-under par 275 with fellow American O’Toole, whose five-under 66 was the bottom spherical of the day.
The chilly wind whipping throughout the scenic Palos Verdes peninsula south of Los Angeles made for a chaotic last spherical, the gusts shifting the balls on some greens and wafting good photographs off beam.
Australian Gabriela Ruffels and American Alison Lee each held a share of the lead on the entrance 9 earlier than ending tied for second on 276, Ruffels closing with a one-under 70 and Lee a one-over 72.
In a single day co-leader Shin Ji-yai of South Korea, a former world primary and two-time main winner, was making a uncommon LPGA look on a sponsor’s invitation within the event hosted by her childhood idol Pak Se-ri.
She carded a two-over 73 to affix a gaggle of 277 that additionally included Thailand’s Jasmine Suwannapura (70) and American Andrea Lee (68).
“The weekend was brutal,” Korda mentioned. “Immediately was simply actually powerful. However I believe that’s additionally the great thing about the sport.
“It’s enjoyable to play in these circumstances and type of be somewhat bit extra inventive out right here.”
Korda, one-under after two birdies and a bogey on the entrance 9 gained precious floor with a uncommon birdie on the par-four twelfth, the place she fired out of the tough to about 12 ft and rolled within the putt to affix a tie for the lead on nine-under.
The reigning Olympic champion was alone atop the leaderboard by the point she arrived on the par-five 14, the place she reached the inexperienced in two and made a testing left-to-right downhill putt for eagle that gave her a three-shot lead on 11-under.
– Regular Nelly issues -A bogey adopted at 15 — the place she watched the wind push her ball off the inexperienced. Unable to transform a protracted eagle effort from the perimeter, she settled for birdie on the par-five sixteenth, however she bogeyed 17 and 18.
“As soon as I made the eagle, I acquired possibly somewhat nervous the place I type of acquired somewhat forward of myself and began making some errors,” Korda mentioned.
“I appear to all the time make it fascinating … simply doing regular Nelly issues, making it fascinating.”
O’Toole, in the meantime, was ending sturdy, her birdies at 16 and 17 retaining her inside putting distance and a protracted par-saving putt on the final sufficient to place her in a playoff.
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“I couldn’t be extra proud to be on this place,” mentioned O’Toole, who had 5 birdies and an eagle together with two bogeys in her spherical.
“That was really my first playoff ever, so I actually loved it. I got here from behind and gave it my finest probability. I can’t be extra proud.”
O’Toole, who claimed her solely LPGA title on the Girls’s Scottish Open in 2021, mentioned she realized she may very well be headed to a playoff when Korda’s ball raced by the inexperienced at 18.
“That’s a extremely arduous up and down,” she mentioned.