NELLY Korda landed an early knockout punch on Monday, May 4, 2026 (PH time), stretching her lead to as many as seven strokes before cruising to the finish with a three-under 69 and a four-shot victory at the Riviera Maya Open.
The win marked her third of the young LPGA season, according to the Associated Press.
Just one week after Korda dominated the field at The Chevron Championship for her third career major title, she left the rest of the pack feeling helpless at El Camaleon. The world’s No. 1 women’s golfer relied on relentless precision to deliver another commanding performance.
Korda went 60 consecutive holes without a bogey, a streak that finally ended when it no longer mattered, the AP reported. She held a six-shot lead as she played the 18th, then sent her drive deep into tropical bushes to the right, never finding the ball.
She hit a provisional into a bunker, the next into the gallery, and finished by sinking a 20-foot putt for bogey — only her second of the tournament. Korda stretched out her arm and casually pumped her right fist with whatever energy she had left.
She finished at 17-under 271, four shots clear of Arpichaya Yubol of Thailand, who celebrated her 24th birthday with a 70 to take second place alone.
Yu Liu of China (69) was another shot back. None had much of a chance against Korda, who became the first player since Annika Sorenstam in 2001 to start a season with nothing worse than a runner-up finish through six events.
Korda began the final round with a three-shot lead, and the contest was effectively over soon after. She holed a 12-foot eagle putt from the collar of the par-5 fifth hole, followed with a 10-foot birdie putt from the fringe on No. 6, then hit a lob wedge to four feet for birdie on the par-5 seventh.
She didn’t need to do anything more the rest of the way, running off 10 straight pars before taking her hands off the wheel on the final hole. / LBG
