By Keely Levins
Nelly Korda is coming into her own. The 20-year-old’s play of late has solidified her as the top American female golfer, as she officially passed Lexi Thompson on Monday in the Rolex World Rankings. Korda is No. 6 in the latest ranking, and Thompson is No. 9. Korda’s older sister, Jessica, is the next-highest ranked American at No. 12. Nelly moved up two spots after finishing T-2 at the Bank of Hope Founders Cup, one shot behind winner Jin Young Ko. Thompson did not play the event.

Nelly’s rise has been steady after having made her first big appearance in the U.S. Women’s Open in 2013 as a 14-year-old. She made the cut as an amateur and finished T-64. After turning pro at age 18 in 2016, she played a full season on the Symetra Tour, winning once and qualifying for the LPGA Tour for the 2017 season. She had five top-10 finishes in her rookie campaign, and then a year later claimed her first LPGA Tour win at the Swinging Skirts LPGA Taiwan Championship last October.

Nelly has played five events so far in 2019 and has finished in the top 10 in each, including a win at last month’s ISPS Handa Australian Women’s Open.

As for why Nelly is having her strongest season to date, one stat jumps out: She’s ranked No. 1 in greens in regulation. That’s a stark improvement from her No. 27 ranking in the same stat in 2018, and being ranked 95th in the category in 2017. Giving herself all of those birdie opportunities has resulted in a jump in another key stat for Nelly, as she’s No. 1 in birdies in 2019.

Another valuable aspect of Nelly’s game that can’t be quantified is her determination. “My parents always refer to me as the lion because I just, you know, I see something and I go after it. I’m always pretty determined,” Nelly said in a press conference in February. “So I’ve always kind of had that aspect, but I think just playing so much competitive golf, even at a young age, it kind of builds it.”

The friendly, healthy rivalry between the sisters is sure to further fueled by Nelly becoming the top American.

“She’s one up on me [in wins] this year, so I got to put my butt in gear,” said Jessica of competing with Nelly, while at the Bank of Hope Founders Cup. “It’s been so great watching her. Just not being able to play, to be out here, just seeing how she carries herself and how she represents herself has been fantastic.”

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By Keely Levins
A playoff looked inevitable at the Bank of Hope Founders Cup in Phoenix on Sunday. After two weeks off, the LPGA was back and there were at least five players at any given point in the final round who looked like they could win.

Jin Young Ko, the 23-year-old South Korean, finished her seven-under round of 65 and went to the putting green to stay loose for what seemed a certain playoff. The final group was on 18, but when Carlota Ciganda missed a birdie putt and Yu Liu, tied with Ko, failed to get up and down for par, Ko no longer needed to keep putting. She had just won the Hope Founders Cup via the back door, her third LPGA Tour victory.

Liu and Ciganda both fell a bit flat on Sunday, shooting rounds of 70 and 69, respectively. The other two players to finish the tournament at 21-under, one shot behind Ko, were sisters Jessica and Nelly Korda. Jessica had rallied to a final-round 64, which included two eagles on the back nine, and she tied for the lowest round of the day. Nelly had a chance to come in at 22-under, but her birdie putt on 18 lipped out. It was painfully close — the sisters recapped the moment together after the round, and Jessica put a video of the putt on Instagram, asking: “How did that not go in?” A fair question for a putt that looked to be in until it whipped around the lip.

Jin Young Ko was able to outlast the pack of challengers by doing what she does best. Ko is an incredibly consistent ball striker. She’s been a professional since 2013 but has spent the majority of her professional career on the Korean LPGA Tour. When she joined the LPGA Tour in 2018, she had a lot of high-level competitive experience. And she made it known. She took Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year honours after winning ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open and finishing in the top 10 on 12 other occasions in 2018. In 2018 she finished the season ranked No. 1 in greens in regulation, hitting 77 per cent over the course of the season. And she was ranked No. 2 in driving accuracy, hitting 85 per cent of fairways. Her numbers so far for 2019 are similar: 79 per cent of greens in regulation and 82 per cent of fairways hit.

Hitting that many greens and that many fairways take pressure off the putter (Ko is currently sixth on tour in putting), and it gives her birdie opportunities. Which is exactly what Ko did all day on Sunday at Wild Fire Golf Club in Phoenix. Her scorecard was flawless: She made seven birdies and 11 pars.

She’s the sixth different winner on the LPGA Tour this season — further proving the depth of talent currently on the LPGA Tour.

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By John Strege
A tournament that built its foundation on nostalgia was gamely represented on Sunday by Laura Davies, who has contributed to the game’s history.

Davies, 54, threatened to turn back the clock in the Bank of Hope Founders Cup, which pays homage to the LPGA’s past of which she is a part, but ultimately she was bettered by Inbee Park, who has simply reset the clock.

When Davies had pulled within a shot of the lead, Park birdied four straight holes on the back nine at the Wildfire Golf Club in Phoenix to win by five, her 19th LPGA victory. Davies, Ariya Jutanugarn and Marina Alex tied for second.

Davies, who was bidding to become the oldest winner in LPGA history, followed a Saturday 63 with a Sunday 69 that was her first LPGA runner-up finish since 2007.

“I realized the record of how old I am now and not having won for God knows how many years on the LPGA, it would have been huge,” Davies, whose last victory was nearly 17 years ago, said. “But I’m actually quite pleased. It’s a great finish for me. I was four over after six on the first day. Just to get into this position is amazing.”

A World Golf Hall of Famer, Davies at least was beaten by a future Hall of Famer, a rejuvenated Park, who already has qualified for the LPGA Hall of Fame and was the youngest to do so, at 27.

Still, only 29, Park, who only two years ago was seriously pondering retirement to start a family, has had her interest in the game rekindled.

“When I was taking the long break [last year], I was just thinking, ‘I think I can do this life as well,’” she said. “Just kind of thoughts like that. I just love the breaks. Just really refreshes me. I’m not burned out. I’m happy to play golf again.”

Rounds of 63 and 67 on the weekend don’t foster unhappiness, of course, though she confessed to being somewhat surprised, given how long she took off. Last year, she played only 15 LPGA events and ended her year after the Women’s British Open in early August.

“I didn’t expect to win this early, obviously, after a long break,” Park said. “In Singapore [the HSBC Women’s World Championship a few weeks ago] I felt like my ball-striking was quite good and I just needed to work on the putter a little bit. And it worked pretty good this week.”

It was better than that on a bogey-free weekend when she made 12 birdies and an eagle, four of the birdies coming on the back-nine run on Sunday that served notice to the competition, that her form has returned two weeks before the LPGA’s first major, the ANA Inspiration.

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By Ryan Herrington
There were low numbers to be had on Saturday at the LPGA’s Bank of Hope Founders Cup, where the scoring average for the third round at Wildfire Golf Club at JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort & Spa in Phoenix was 69.723 (compared to 72.437 on Thursday and 71.814 on Friday). But it was a certain player who had one that makes for an intriguing storyline come Sunday.

When Laura Davies posted a bogey-free nine-under 63, it was the lowest score she shot in an LPGA event since the third round of the Wendy’s Championship for Children … in 2005. The 54-year-old moved up from T-32nd to T-4, three strokes back of 54-hole leader Inbee Park.

“It’s been in my mind and I know I can still play great golf, but it is all about the short game,” Davies said. “My short game is really coming around and a day like this tells me that we are really doing the right things.” Indeed, Davies needed just 24 putts on Saturday.

The goal now, of course, is to repeat the performance on Sunday. A victory would truly be turning back the clock for Davies, the last of her 19 LPGA wins having come at the 2001 Wegmans Rochester Invitational. That would break the record for the longest time between LPGA wins, a record that belongs to Dale Eggeling, who had 14 years, 11 months and 4 days.

It would also easily smash the record for the oldest player to ever claim an LPGA title, that mark currently owned by Beth Daniel after winning the 2003 BMO Financial Group Canadian Women’s Open at 46 years, 8 months, 29 days of age.

Working against Davies is the Achilles injury she continues to suffer from, one that might explain the opening 73 she shot in Phoenix.

“I’ll certainly have a crack at it,” Davies said. “I’ve given myself a chance now.”

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