Nelly Korda has finally done it. The world number one claimed her maiden US Women’s Open title on Sunday at Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles, closing with a 2-under 69 to finish 8-under and win by one shot over England’s Charley Hull.
It is the fourth major championship of Korda’s career and her second consecutive LPGA Tour victory of the season, following her Chevron Championship triumph in April.
“It’s just a dream to win here,” Korda said. “The golf course holds so much history and to have my name alongside so many great champions is a dream come true.”
Nelly Korda’s path to the title was anything but smooth. She opened with a 2-over 73 that left her near the cutline at tied 56th. Back-to-back 67s in rounds two and three hauled her back into contention before a composed final round sealed the deal.
“This week was definitely a grind. I don’t even feel like I had my B game,” Korda said. “It doesn’t matter if you have your B or C game. You have to be there mentally.”
The decisive moment came with a clutch birdie on the 17th hole before she sealed the win with a 34-inch par putt on the 18th, the ball circling the back lip before dropping in.
Charley Hull produced a stunning final round 67, equalling the lowest 36-hole total in US Women’s Open history alongside Mexico’s Gaby Lopez in second at 7-under but it was not enough to catch Korda.
“It’s just frustrating. Another second place. It’s pretty annoying, but I played well the last day,” Hull said. “Fair play to Nelly Korda for back-to-back wins.”
It was Hull’s fifth runner-up finish at a major, four of which have come since the start of 2023. South Korea’s In-Gee Chun finished third at 6-under, with Sei Young Kim a shot further back at 5-under.
Nelly Korda first played the US Women’s Open as a 14-year-old at Sebonack in 2013. Sunday’s win at Riviera was the realisation of a dream she has carried ever since.
“That 14-year-old girl who stepped on the range at Sebonack in 2013, her dream has just come true,” Korda said. “I always felt like I emphasized the Women’s Open so much. Every year I never played well but it was still keeping me very much motivated.”
Her closest previous call came last year at Erin Hills, where she tied for second after losing to Maja Stark by two strokes. She credited that near-miss with giving her the belief to finally win.
“Being in the chase at Erin Hills, I turned the corner of, okay, I can be in the hunt. I can do this,” she said.
The victory is Korda’s 19th career LPGA Tour title and makes her the first player since Inbee Park in 2013 to win the first two majors of the season, and the first American to do so since Pat Bradley in 1986. She is also the first athlete of the 2020 era to capture four major wins.
Nelly Korda now sits on 25 LPGA Hall of Fame points, just two away from automatic entry. She is also now the highest-earning American athlete in LPGA Tour history, having surpassed $20 million in official earnings with the $2.5 million winner’s check.
With barely half the 2026 season gone, Korda is already having arguably the greatest season of her career.
