Nelly Korda dominated the Riviera Maya Open at Mayakoba Sunday, firing a 3-under 69 to secure a four-shot victory. It’s her third win of the season, coming just one week after she crushed the field at The Chevron Championship for her third career major.
Korda’s precision at El Camaleon left competitors feeling helpless. She went an incredible 60 straight holes without a bogey, a streak that only ended on the final hole when the outcome was already decided.
With a comfortable six-shot cushion playing the 18th, Korda sent her drive deep into the tropical bushes. After never finding her ball, she hit a provisional into a bunker, then another into the gallery before draining a 20-foot putt for bogey — just her second of the entire tournament. She casually threw a right fist pump with whatever energy she had left.
Korda finished at 17-under 271, four shots clear of Thailand’s Arpichaya Yubol, who celebrated her 24th birthday with a 70 to take solo second. China’s Yu Liu (69) finished third, another shot back.
What makes Korda’s run so impressive is her consistency. She’s the first player since Annika Sorenstam in 2001 to start a season with nothing worse than a runner-up finish through six events.
The knockout punch came early Sunday. Starting with a three-shot lead, Korda holed a 12-foot eagle putt from the collar of the par-5 fifth hole, followed with a 10-foot birdie putt from the fringe on No. 6, then hit a lob wedge to 4 feet for birdie on the par-5 seventh.
From there, she cruised with 10 straight pars until the final hole hiccup.
When asked if she’s playing the best golf of her career, Korda didn’t take the bait.
“I’m just enjoying myself and I love the competition. I love traveling to places like Mexico, all over the world. I’m just having fun,” she said.
The day featured steamy conditions, with tee times moved up to avoid approaching thunderstorms along Mexico’s Caribbean coast. At one point, Korda doused her head with a bottle of water walking off the 16th tee, but nothing could cool off her game.
Korda could only laugh at her final hole miscue that kept her from matching or surpassing her five-shot victory margin from last week’s major win.
“On the last hole here I was humbled by golf,” she said. “I had a pretty smooth day and on the last hole just kind of like humbles you a little bit. You put in the work. Everyone out here puts in the work. Sometimes it works out.”
The victory gives the 27-year-old American 18 LPGA wins, making her the youngest American with that many titles since Nancy Lopez reached 18 victories at age 23 in 1980.
Arkansas senior Maria Jose Marin, who thrilled fans with her Augusta National Women’s Amateur title last month, posted impressive 69-69 weekend rounds to finish fifth. The top-10 finish would make her eligible for next week’s Mizuho Americas Open, but she has finals to attend.
Korda is also skipping next week after back-to-back wins. Despite mentioning her lack of energy this week, she made sure to stay focused on work rather than vacation at the Mexican resort.
“I’ll enjoy a few days off,” Korda said.
