BREAKTHROUGH VICTORY

WASHINGTON (AFP) — World No. 1 Nelly Korda matched a Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) record with her fifth consecutive victory on Sunday, winning the Chevron Championship for her second major crown and 13th career tour triumph.

The two-stroke triumph over Sweden’s Maja Stark stretched Korda’s season win streak to five titles in five starts to equal the LPGA record set by American Nancy Lopez in 1978 and matched by Sweden’s Annika Sorenstam from 2004-05.

Korda withstood a tension-packed back nine but never lost her lead in holding off rivals over the closing holes at Carlton Woods in suburban Houston to claim the $1.2 million top prize in the first women’s major tournament of the season.

“I can finally breathe now. That back nine felt like the longest back nine of my entire life,” Korda said.

“It was a little bit of a grind on the back nine but happy to get the win.”

The 25-year-old American fired a three-under par 69 in the final round to finish on 13-under 275 after 72 holes.

Stark was second on 277 after a closing 69 followed by American Lauren Coughlin and Canada’s Brooke Henderson sharing third on 278 and South Korean Ryu Hae-ran fifth on 279 after closing on 74.

Korda, the daughter of former Czech tennis star Petr Korda, won her only prior major crown at the 2021 Women’s PGA Championship while also capturing a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics.

This year, Korda also won January’s Drive On Championship, last month’s Seri Pak and Ford championships and the LPGA Match Play earlier this month.

“There’s a key in the simplicity that I have. I honestly take it a shot at a time,” Korda said. “It has been working so far. I feel like sometimes golf can get overcomplicated.”