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Palos Verdes Estates, Calif. — Nelly Korda bogeyed her final two holes Sunday to fall into the playoffs, but quickly made amends by sinking a 12-foot birdie putt at the Far Hills Seripak Championship. Defeats Ryan O’Toole and returns to world No. 1.
Korda, who finished with a 2-under 69, won for the second time this year, but both times involved surprising collapses and surprising comebacks.
“It gets old real fast here,” said Korda, 25.
She dropped four strokes on the back nine at the Drive On Championship in Florida in January, but rallied with an eagle-birdie finish to defeat Lydia Ko and win.
Playing for the first time since his drive-on victory, Korda took control by slamming the fairway metal over the hill on the par-5 14th. The ball caught the back slope of the green and rolled 18 feet, and she made an eagle putt.
O’Toole sank a 20-foot par putt on the 18th for a 66, but it looked like he would be stuck in second place. But Korda came close on the par-3 17th and missed a 6-foot par putt, then went long on the 18th for another bogey.
He finished with a score of 9-under 275, and the playoffs came to an early end.
O’Toole hit a 7-iron from the right rough to about 15 feet, and the birdie putt burned the edge of the cup. Korda hit an 8-iron to 12 feet to win his 10th career LPGA title.
Korda decided to skip the entire Asian Games, giving her nearly two months off. She felt rusty at first, but as the weeks progressed she became sharper. It helped that her swing coach, Jamie Mulligan, works at Virginia Country Club in Long Beach and was able to work with her after each round.
“It really helped me,” Korda said. “It’s not easy to come back after a long break without knowing where your game is going.”
The harsh conditions of wind and cold became even more severe. O’Toole was wearing earmuffs when he holed a clutch putt at the end of regulation.
Korda seemed to accept the challenge.
“The weekend was horrible,” she said. “That’s the beauty of the game as well. It’s fun to be able to play in these conditions and be a little more artistic.”
Former world No. 1 and top player on four world tours, Xin Jiyai shared the lead until the final round, but suffered a three-putt double bogey on the 12th hole and completely fell behind. She shot a 73 and tied for fifth place.
Gabriella Ruffels (70) and Alison Lee (72) tied for third place. Ruffels needed a birdie on the final hole to qualify for the playoff.
Korda replaces Lilia Vu at the top of the women’s world rankings.
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