Major No. 1 and No. 1 in the world: ‘Is this week even real?’ asks Nelly Korda
JOHNS CREEK, Ga. – Nelly Korda is on top of the world.
Korda won the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship on Sunday for her first major title and sixth victory of her career. With her win comes a very large trophy, a $675,000 payday and, soon, a new title.
World No. 1.
On the heels of her victory at Atlanta Athletic Club, Korda is projected to climb to No. 1 in the Rolex Rankings for the first time in her career. Coming into the week, Korda was the top-ranked American at No. 3 in the world. She has previously been ranked as high as No. 2 in 2020. The rankings reflecting her victory will be finalized on Monday.
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“A major championship and No. 1 in the world; is this week even real?” Korda said to Golf Channel after her victory.
Korda matched the tournament’s 72-hole scoring record with her triumph at 19 under par. The record is just the latest in a series of career bests for the 22-year-old, who shot a career-low, 10-under-par 62 en route to victory last week at the Meijer LPGA Classic. Friday, Korda once again posted a career best when she carded a 63 for her lowest round in a major championship. She’s also the first player on tour to win in back-to-back weeks since Lydia Ko in 2016.
“I go into every year wanting to succeed and wanting to reach my goals, and to finally check this off my list feels so nice,” Korda said about her major victory. “There’ve been so many young major winners, so it’s finally nice to kind of check that off my list, too.”
Korda will unseat Jin Young Ko, who has held the top spot in the Rolex Rankings since July 2019. J.Y. Ko finished T-46 at the KPMG to open the door for Korda’s ascent. Inbee Park, who held the No. 2 spot, also struggled at Atlanta Athletic Club and finished T-40 for the week.
“I’ve just been constantly trying to inch towards that, and to finally get it is amazing,” Korda said about becoming world No. 1.
Korda first climbed inside the top 10 in the Rolex Rankings following her victory at the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open in 2019. She will become just the third American in the history of the rankings, dating back to its founding in 2006, to hold the No. 1 spot. She joins Cristie Kerr (2010) and Stacy Lewis, who most recently held the top spot in 2014.
Her sister, Jessica, has been ranked as high as No. 8 in the rankings.
“I feel like you’re constantly setting new goals for yourself and you’re constantly striving to achieve more in a sense,” Korda said, ‘but I am going to sit down and just enjoy this for a little.”