Nelly Korda sets LPGA record with fifth straight victory while winning second major championship of her career

Nelly Korda made golf history on Sunday by winning her fifth straight LPGA tournament while also winning the second major of her career. Korda won the 2024 Chevron Championship by two shots over Maja Stark and three shots over Natalie Coughlin and Brooke Henderson, continuing her incredible undefeated streak that began in mid-January.

While Scottie Scheffler is making headlines for his incredible level of play on the men’s side, Korda is doing better than him on the women’s side. Scheffler has won three of the last four tournaments he has entered and is looking to win four of five on Sunday at the 2024 RBC Heritage.

In earning her fifth straight victory, Korda now stands with Nancy Lopez (1978) and Annika Sorenstam (2004-05) as the only golfers to achieve such a feat on the LPGA Tour. She’ll have a chance to break through at the next event, which could come as soon as next week’s LA Championships.

Korda led the first women’s major of the year for most of a weekend that was postponed due to inclement weather in Woodlands, Texas, just outside Houston. She posted scores of 68-69-69 in the first three rounds and seemed to absorb a different player’s run to the top of the leaderboard every day. Sunday’s run came from Stark, who birdied her final two holes to reach 11 under and put a little pressure on Korda.

It’s not easy. Korda hit her tee shot into the water on the 15th before escaping bogey as her lead moved from four to three. That’s the benefit of building a four-shot lead early into the weekend; it gives you the opportunity to make a few mistakes in the long run. With Stark ahead of her birdie, Korda nearly birdied No. 17 and then made a final birdie on No. 18 to win.

“I can finally breathe,” she told NBC. “That back nine was like the longest back nine of my life. That back nine was a little tough but it was fun to get the win.”

“I definitely started to feel it on the back nine,” she added, having made more bogeys on the back nine than she had made in 27 holes previously combined. “The nerves are starting to set in. This is a professional tournament. It’s everything I always wanted as a little girl – to lift that big trophy. Like I said, now finally I might as well breathe and enjoy this moment because I was definitely nervous.

Korda won her first professional tournament since the Women’s PGA Championship in 2021. Since then, she has four top-10s but no wins.

It’s been a phenomenal 2024 for the world No. 1, who has essentially racked up career-worthy achievements over the past few months. On Sunday, she took home the top prize at the Chevron Championship, a purse that increased 50% from last year to $7.9 million for the field.

“There’s a key to the simplicity I get from playing it,” she said. “Honestly, I just take it one at a time and we pick a game plan when we get to the golf course, we work and stay in our own little bubble. So far, it’s worked out.” I feel like golf can get too complicated.” , and there is a key to its simplicity.”

Rick Gehman, Kyle Porter, Patrick McDonald and Greg DuCharme discuss Scottie Scheffler’s hold on the RBC Heritage, Nelly Korda’s fifth straight win and Miles Russell’s top-25 finish at just 15 years old. Watch and listen to The First Cut above Apple Podcasts And Spotify.