World no.1 Nelly Korda overhauled England’s Charley Hull on the back nine on Sunday to win her third LPGA Annika title.
Korda, who had been out of action since September with a neck problem, started the final day at Pelican Golf Club in Florida one shot behind Hull, who had led from Thursday’s opening round at the event, which is named in honour of Sweden’s 10-time major champion Annika Sorenstam.
Korda made a slow start, with three bogeys on her front nine, but five birdies in a row from the 11th saw her move two strokes ahead of Hull with three holes to play. The 26-year-old held her nerve to par the last three holes and finish with a round of 67 and a total of 14 under total.
A dropped shot by Hull on the 17th hole saw her fall out of contention for the win and she finished with a 71 for a share of second on 11 under alongside China’s Weiwei Zhang and Korea’s Jin Hee Im.
It was a seventh title of the year for Korda, who had sealed the LPGA Tour’s 2024 Rolex Player of the Year Award the week before.
“After taking time off for an injury it feels great to be back,” said Korda, who earned $487,000 for the win. “I was certainly feeling the nerves on the back nine. There’s nothing like the adrenaline of being in the hunt on the back nine – I love it so much.”
For all the scores from LPGA Annika, click here.