Nelly Korda wins 3 in a row on LPGA Tour, first since 2016

It isn’t even April yet, but the results already support this declaration: 2024 is shaping up to be the year of Nelly Korda.

The 25-year-old world No. 1 made LPGA history at the inaugural Ford Championship on Sunday in Gilbert, Ariz. with a come-from-behind victory for her third consecutive win on tour this season.

Korda is the first to accomplish a three-peat since Ariya Kutanugarn in 2016 and the first American since Nancy Lopez won five straight tournaments in 1978.

In rainy and chilly conditions uncharacteristic of the desert, Korda came from two strokes behind the third-round leader Hannah Green with a blemish-free scorecard. She shot a 7-under 65 at Seville Golf and Country Club—the second-lowest round of the day. She was 20-under for the tournament, two shots ahead of Hira Naveed. Five contenders, including Lexi Thompson, were at 17-under.

Playing in the fourth-to-last tee time, Korda’s even-keeled play decided the tournament long before her competitors finished their rounds. Indulging in a cup of soup to warm herself up, the Olympic gold medalist sat in the clubhouse waiting alongside friends and family for the historic result to become official.

“I think it was definitely one of my least stressful wins,” Korda said.

That’s putting it lightly. Korda’s previous two wins were thrillers. Nine weeks ago on home soil in Bradenton, Fla., Korda battled down the stretch with Lydia Ko. After forcing sudden-death play with an eagle-birdie finish in regulation, Korda outlasted the LPGA veteran in a two-hole playoff to win the LPGA Drive on Championship. Korda’s older sister Jessica, a six-time winner on tour herself and nearly nine months pregnant then, joked that her younger sister’s clutch performance almost sent her into labor. It was Korda’s first win since the 2022 Pelican.

Players to do it since 2000, and the wins they ended up with that season —

’00 Karrie Webb (7)
’05 Annika Sorenstam (10)
’08 Lorena Ochoa (7)
’24 Nelly Korda (?)

— Justin Ray (@JustinRayGolf) April 1, 2024

Then, after a seven-week hiatus from competition during which Korda honed in on her fitness and visited family in Prague, she returned to the winner’s circle in Los Angeles at the Seri Pak Championship on March 24. Korda once again rallied from behind, defeating UCLA product Ryann O’Toole in a one-hole, sudden-death playoff.

After tapping in for birdie on the closing hole Sunday, there were no impending heart rate spikes. All Korda could do was smile.

Korda’s hot start to the 2024 season comes after a difficult two years on the course. She has battled on-and-off injuries and ailments — including a blood clot in her arm — and never seemed to be completely comfortable in competition, even when she achieved solid results. This year, things feel different.

“I’m just really enjoying myself out there,” Korda said. “I mean, I love golf. I’ve always loved golf. Sometimes it’s harder than other days.”

Sunday was not one of those….