Cool Korda lands third win in a row
Women’s world No 1 Nelly Korda recorded her third straight success on the LPGA Tour as men’s No 1 Scottie Scheffler came up agonisingly short in his bid to achieve the same feat on the PGA Tour.
It was job done for Korda as the in-form 25-year-old signed off with a 65 to win the inaugural Ford Championship presented by KCC with a 20-under-par total at Seville Golf and Country Club in Arizona.
Coming on the back of her title triumphs in the LPGA Drive On Championship and Fir Hills Seri Park Championship, Korda became the first LPGA Tour player since Ariya Jutanugarn in 2016 to win in three consecutive starts and first American to do the trick since Nancy Lopez won five straight tournaments in 1978.
“I think it was definitely one of my least stressful wins today. I just played really solid golf,” said Korda, who returned to world No 1 with the second of her successes.
Meanwhile, Scheffler fell shot short of his third consecutive victory after missing birdie putts of 11 and five feet on the final two holes as the Texas Children’s Open title went instead to German Stephan Jaeger.
“I feel like I made the putt, and I looked up, and it was breaking off,” said Scheffler of being unable to convert his opportunity at the closing hole at Memorial Park Golf Course.
Jaeger, a 34-year-old from Munich, closed with nine straight pars as he landed a maiden win on the US circuit with a 12-under total, finishing a shot ahead of not only Scheffler but also Tony Finau, Taylor Moore, Belgian Thomas Detry and Argentina’s Alejandro Tosti.