Korda returns to No. 1 after victory in Florida

A year Nelly Korda would like to forget is ending with the American star in a familiar position as the No. 1 player in women’s golf.

Locked in a battle with Lexi Thompson along the back nine, Korda pulled ahead with birdies on the 16th and 17th hole and held on for a 6-under 64 for a one-shot victory Sunday in the Pelican Women’s Championship in Belleair, Florida.

The 24-year-old Korda won at Pelican Golf Club for the second straight year, this one elevating her past Thai teenager Atthaya Thitikul to reclaim the No. 1 ranking.

Korda started the year at No. 1, but then missed four months with a blood clot in her left arm and has been struggling to regain her form ever since. Her only victory was in the Aramco Team Series in Spain on the Ladies European Tour.

This was her eighth LPGA Tour title, and the tears when it was over were evident how much it meant to her after all her struggles.

“Honestly, amazing,” she said about her return to No. 1. “It’s been a tough year. I missed two cuts in Arkansas and Dallas, but I kept my head high and worked really hard. It feels really good to be on top.”

„ England’s Tommy Fleetwood shot a finalround 67 to come from behind and retain his title at the Nedbank Golf Challenge in Sun City, South Africa. It ended a three-year winless drought for the 31-year-old. The European Tour event was canceled in 2020 and 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Fleetwood won the tournament in 2019.

College basketball: KJ Simpson had 23 points and 10 rebounds, both career highs for the sophomore, to lead Colorado to an 78-66 upset victory over No. 11 Tennessee. Tristan de Silva added 14 points for the visiting Buffaloes (2-1). The Vols fell to 1-1.

Tennis: Eighth-seeded Taylor Fritz beat top-seeded Rafael Nadal 7-6 (3), 6-1 victory in a group-play opener at the ATP Finals in Turin, Italy.