Korda, "I Am the Lady of the Lake"... Returns to World No. 1 (Comprehensive)

Wire-to-Wire Victory at the Chevron Championship
Second Win of the Season, 17th Career Title, and Third Major for Korda
Lin Ruoning and Tavatanakit Share Second Place, Yoon Ina Finishes Fourth

Nelly Korda (USA) has claimed the title of "Lady of the Lake."

On April 26 (local time), at the Memorial Park Golf Course (par 72, 6,811 yards) in Houston, Texas, during the fourth round of the first major tournament of the 2026 LPGA Tour season, the Chevron Championship (total prize money USD 9 million), Korda recorded four birdies and two bogeys for a 2-under-par 70. With a final total of 18-under-par 270, Korda secured a dominant victory by five strokes. She returned to the top of this tournament for the first time in two years since 2024.

Korda captured a wire-to-wire victory, defending her lead atop the leaderboard for all four days. This marks only the fifth time in tournament history such a feat has been achieved. Following her win at the season-opening Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions in February, this is her second victory of the season, 17th career win, and third major championship title. She received a winner’s prize of USD 1.35 million (about KRW 2 billion).

Nelly Korda is holding the trophy and smiling brightly right after winning the Chevron Championship. Houston=Photo by AP

Korda will also reclaim the world No. 1 ranking, which she lost to Atthaya Thitikul (Thailand) in August last year. Just as she did after winning the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in June 2021, Korda has returned to the top of the world rankings with another major victory. She first rose to world No. 1 in June 2021, overtaking Ko Jin-young, and has since traded the top spot multiple times with Ko Jin-young, Atthaya Thitikul, Lydia Ko (New Zealand), and Lilia Vu (USA).

Starting the day with a five-stroke lead, Korda secured early birdies on the 1st and 3rd holes (both par 5s), maintaining steady play. After a string of pars through eight holes, she marked her first bogey on the par-4 12th. Korda then made consecutive birdies on the par-4 13th and par-5 14th holes, preventing her competitors from mounting a challenge. Though she bogeyed the par-4 17th, it did not affect her victory.

Nelly Korda is celebrating by jumping into the lake after winning the Chevron Championship. Houston=AP Yonhap News Agency

In a post-victory interview, Korda said, "The weekend rounds were not easy. It was mentally tough," and added with a bright smile, "I think I achieved a good result thanks to all the support I received." She continued, "Anyone can make mistakes, but I managed to win a major championship," expressing her joy.

Korda is renowned as a golfer from a family of athletes. Her older sister Jessica has six LPGA Tour wins. Korda comes from a sporting family: her father, Petr, was the 1998 Australian Open tennis singles champion, and her mother, Regina, reached the round of 16 in the US Open tennis singles in 1989 and 1991. Her younger brother Sebastian is also active as a professional tennis player.

Lin Ruoning (China) carded a 3-under-par 69 to finish tied for second at 13-under-par 275. Patty Tavatanakit (Thailand) managed to shave off only two strokes and had to settle for runner-up. Liu Yan (China) finished tied for fourth at 12-under-par 276, while Hannah Green (Australia), Lottie Woad (England), and Ryann O'Toole (USA) tied for seventh at 6-under-par 282.

Yuna Kim is waving her hand to greet the gallery after making a birdie on the 18th hole of the 4th round at the Chevron Championship. Houston=AP Yonhap News

Among Korean players, Yoon Ina surged with seven birdies and three bogeys for a 4-under-par 68, finishing tied for fourth—the best result among Koreans in the tournament. Kim Hyojoo, who has two wins this year, finished sixth at 7-under-par 281. Hwang Yoomin and Yoo Haeran tied for 12th at 4-under-par 284, while Choi Hyejin and Lim Jinhui shared 21st at 3-under-par 285. Amateur Yang Yunseo (Incheon Girls’ High School Broadcasting and Communications) delivered a strong performance, tying for 38th at even-par 288.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.