Nelly Korda was a winner this past weekend, taking home the first-place trophy at the Ford Championship. In doing so, she has accomplished something that has not been done on the LPGA in eight years. The victory was her third win in her last three starts. How rare is this achievement?
Ariya Jutanagarn was the last person to win three consecutive starts. She did it in May of 2016, almost eight years ago. Before that, Inbee Park did it in 2013 and Lorena Ochoa in 2008, making this just the third time it was done in the last sixteen years.
Nelly has proven in her last three starts that she can finish on top under very different circumstances:
- She can win when entering the final round with the lead.
- She can win coming from behind.
- She can win in a playoff.
- She can win in ideal conditions.
- She can win in wind and rain.
For Nelly, her win this past weekend was the eleventh win of her career. Her victory total includes a major championship (the 2021 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship). She also won the gold medal at the 2020 Olympic Games (the LPGA now gives a Hall of Fame point for that achievement). It takes 27 points to get into the LPGA Hall of Fame. With her 3 points so far this year she now has 13 points toward that goal. With five major championships still to be played this year (they are worth two Hall of Fame points each) and taking into account that she currently leads the LPGA in both the Player of the Year and Vare Trophy races (both worth a Hall of Fame point), this could be one terrific season.
Nelly is currently the #1 ranked player in the world and has held that spot for a total of 39 weeks in her career.
Nelly has teed it up a total of 131 times in her career and has made 115 cuts, a success rate of 87.8%. That number has gotten even better the last few years as she has made 78 of 86 cuts, an amazing 90.7%. She also has 59 top ten finishes.
Nelly has been part of team USA in the last three Solheim cups where she has lost just three of eleven matches.
There have only been four other players that have won three tournaments before April 1st. They are:
Joanne Carner – 1980
Kathy Whitworth – 1969
Louise Suggs – 1954
Patty Berg – 1953
As you can see, what Nelly has accomplished in her last three starts is something that has rarely been done in LPGA history. Especially in the modern era. As noted earlier there are five major championships to be played this year. This is also an Olympic year, where Nelly will be defending her title. Throw in the 2024 Solheim Cup, and this is going to be a year where we should all be keeping an eye on the accomplishments of Nelly Korda!
FEATURE PHOTO: Nelly Korda tees off at the 2024 LPGA Drive On Championship. All photos in this article by Ben Harpring.
