Nelly Korda captures 6th LPGA title of season, despite having “C and D” game

Nelly Korda did it again, winning her sixth event of the season at the Mizuho Americas Open at Liberty National.

JERSEY CITY, N.J. — It did not come easy for Nelly Korda, who entered Sunday’s final round at the Mizuho Americas Open with a two-shot lead.

She admitted to not having her best stuff, a far cry from her unflappable round on Saturday, when she shot a bogey-free 65.

But the best players always find a way to get the job done. And Korda, the best player in the world, did just that. She clawed her way to her sixth victory of the season, shooting a 1-under 71 to eclipse Australia’s Hannah Green by a stroke.

“I definitely felt like I had my C and D game,” Korda said.

“Didn’t really play all that well. I just told myself that even though I was 2-over [after my first few holes], I still had opportunities on the back nine to take the lead or battle with Hannah, because she was playing solid golf.”

Plenty of birdie chances presented themselves across Liberty National’s back nine, as Korda and Green each made three birdies a piece on the inward nine.

But the pivotal moments of the tournament came in its final stages.

At the par-4 17th, Korda and Green sat at 14-under par, tied for the lead. Korda blistered a draw off the tee, while Green countered with a fairway finder of her own: a power fade.

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Of these two, Green played first. She pushed her second shot a tad but still found the putting surface, albeit 30 feet right of the flagstick.

Then Korda, amped up on adrenaline, pulled out her 9-iron. She sensed an opportunity and decided to go flag hunting.

But the adrenaline got to her, as she airmailed the green.

“We told ourselves long is dead and that is where I went,” Korda explained.

“I wanted to hit a controlled 9-iron into the wind. I told [my caddy] that I have a bit of adrenaline like I definitely felt it. It’s lower than it was in the past, but definitely felt it. And it was an arrow at the flag, and it was just a little bit too much, and long left was just not a good place to miss it.”

Her ball came to rest in a difficult spot, in a bowl beyond the green, as a bogey loomed. But Korda made it look easy. She chipped it to tap-in range, settling for par after what she called her best shot of the day.

Green, meanwhile, almost drained her birdie putt, but it veered left at the end, missing by a hair.

The final pairing then marched to the 18th tee, one of the most challenging tee shots on the course. With the Manhattan skyline to the right, Korda found the short grass while Green missed the fairway to the left, which proved costly.

The Aussie could not salvage a par on the last hole, leaving herself one stroke behind Korda, who easily two-putted for par.

“To lose to Nelly is sad, but then it’s also Nelly Korda,” Green said.

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“She’s obviously so dominant right now. To finish second behind her is quite nice. Unfortunately, the bogey on the last has a little bit of a sour taste, but I still competed out there.”

Green put up one impressive fight, especially early on. She opened with a birdie at the 1st hole to put the pressure on and did not blink until the par-5 8th, where a pushed tee shot led to a bogey.

Conversely, Korda made three bogies over her first seven holes, all attributed to poor drives. She looked somewhat frustrated at times, a rare sight for the biggest star in women’s golf.

When the final group arrived on the tee at the par-5 6th, Korda’s overnight lead had already vanished, as she and Green held a share of the lead at 12-under par.

“Definitely was not a good start to the day,” Korda added.

“Just couldn’t get anything going, and [my caddy] told me to reset and to start fresh,” Korda added.

After shooting a 2-over 38 on the front nine, Korda arrived at the par-5 10th, sensing an opportunity. She blistered her tee shot down the right side of the fairway, giving herself a perfect angle into this dogleg right.

Korda went on to make a birdie, but so too did her playing partner. Green made a terrific up-and-down from the rough to the left of the green.

Just like that, this final round turned into match play, with Korda and Green trading blows on Liberty National’s scenic back-nine. Nobody else in the field threatened them.

“I felt like when one of us hit it really close or could take advantage of something on the back nine, the other hit it close too and made the putt,” Korda said.

Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images

Remarkably, both players birdied the par-5 13th as well.

Two holes later, Korda and Green produced some fireworks again.

After stuffing their approach shots close, they each birdied the par-4 15th, a challenging dogleg left. Even Gianna Clemente, the AJGA player in this group, capitalized on a terrific approach too.

“For all three of us, even Gianna to make birdie, I thought that was pretty cool,” Green said when asked what moment stood out on Sunday.

“When we got there, we were all like six or seven feet away from the pin.”

Yet Green, who is the only other player to have won multiple times on the LPGA this season, could not complete the job.

Instead, Korda emerged victorious, despite not having her ‘A-game’ in the shadows of the Manhattan skyline.

“There is something special about the grind of not having your best stuff,” Korda added.

“Then to mentally be able to pull it off.”

Special, indeed, Nelly. Special indeed.

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.