Nelly Korda wins Seri Pak title, back on top

PALOS VERDES, Calif. (News4usonline) – Nelly Korda started the final day of the Fir Hills Seri Pak Championship ranked No. 2 in the world rankings. Her playoff win over Ryann O’Toole will likely catapult Korda into the No. 1 position in the Rolex Rankings. 

If the Rolex Rankings bear fruit for Korda to be recognized as the top female golfer in the world, it would not be the first time. Korda was the No. 1 player in women’s golf in 2021. 

After picking up her second LPGA win in 2024, Korda said she tries to play with the mindset to play well every time she comes out to play. 

“I mean, gosh, I feel like the No. 1 ranking almost changes like the wind,” Korda said. “It’s so back and forth. I would say I am so grateful and so proud that I have the world No. 1 ranking, that I got it back in 2021.” 

“Would I say is it a goal of mine entering the year? I wouldn’t say it’s a goal, because if I play well and if I’m present and if I’m having fun out here, that all kind of comes with it. So my goals are mainly very present of where I am right now, the week I’m playing, and just small little goals will eventually lead to big goals,” Korda added. 

At 25, Korda has proven herself to be a power broker in women’s golf. She’s an Olympian with a gold medal behind her. She became just the third American woman since the world rankings came out in 2006, to hold the esteemed title of No. 1 in the world when she first captured the top ranking in 2021. 

So far, Korda has registered 10 wins as a pro and has posted 57 career Top 10 finishes. Pretty impressive. In hitting No. 10 in wins for her career, Korda has picked up victories from the LPGA Drive On Championship and now the Fir Hills Seri Pak Championship this year so far. 

Getting to No. 10 has been a chase, Korda said. 

“I mean, I think I paused at eight for a pretty long time. I mean, seven, and then after 2021 I felt like I kept racking them up I guess, the wins and golf was so much fun,” Korda said.

“And then 2022, I got one at the end of the year and last year was disappointing with no wins. I think it’s just golf. You got to take it as it comes. Everything happens for a reason. I’m always going to put 110% into everything I do, especially with how much I love the game.”

Against a super-talented field, Korda finished the four rounds hitting 11 of 14 fairways, making 12 of 18 greens with 29 putts. She also recorded 21 birdies and 12 bogeys. Both Korda and O’Toole finished at nine under par and totaled 275, thus forcing the playoff scenario. 

The separation in the one-hole playoff on 18 was that O’Toole missed on her birdie attempt. Korda did not. O’Toole did play her way into the playoff scenario with a final round of 66. 

But with less than perfect conditions as swirling winds rumbled about and finding herself in her first-ever playoff, O’Toole couldn’t quite nail down the victory. Korda took advantage of O’Toole’s miscue. 

After claiming victory, Korda talked about what was going through her mind over the last couple of rounds and what her emotions were like once the playoff presented itself. 

“Honestly, didn’t really start feeling nervous until I made that eagle putt,” Korda said. “I was kind of just — I didn’t really know what was going on, how the group behind me was doing. It was so windy [that I] was caught up in trying to control my ball flight.”

“Once I made the eagle, I mean, I got maybe a little nervous where it kind of got a little ahead of myself and started making some mistakes of yeah, interesting last couple holes. Eagle, bogey, birdie, bogey, bogey. Yeah, it was just — I say this all the time, but I seem to always make it interesting. Yeah, just doing normal Nelly things, making it interesting,” Korda added. 

In her final round of play, Korda recorded an eagle, five birdies, and five bogeys. She is undefeated in playoffs this year (2-0), and becomes the first American to win twice before April since 2013 when Stacy Lewis did it. Korda had to battle some strong wind gusts throughout the day to go get her latest win. 

“How I dealt with the wind, I have a lower ball flight so I actually like playing in the wind,” Korda said. “I wouldn’t say I like playing in it every week, but I grew up in Florida so hit a lot of controlled shots, penetrating shots. Getting to play British the past couple years, too, I’ve kind of learned how to manage my game in the wind. It’s all about making the least amount of mistakes and give yourself opportunities when you can.”