Sometimes winning requires a little bit of luck. Other times it takes a few blunt words of wisdom from your caddie. For Nelly Korda at the Drive On Championship it was both. And the combination made for a glorious sudden-death playoff finish between Korda and Lydia Ko—two of the LPGA’s most captivating stars—to cap off the second event of the calendar year.
As Korda’s four-shot lead slipped away and Ko inched closer to a victory that would have earned her an automatic berth into the LPGA Hall of Fame, Korda’s looper, Jason McDede, made the pivotal decision to step in.
“He pretty much told me to get my head out of my a--,” Korda said in her post-round press conference at Bradenton Country Club.
Bogey, double bogey, bogey—it was all but assured Korda would be practically handing Ko her 21st LPGA title after entering the 17th hole at 5 over par on the day. But then Korda flipped the switch. She would need an eagle-birdie finish to tie Ko’s 11-under clubhouse lead, and that’s exactly what she got.
Here’s where the luck comes in: Korda teed off on the par-5 17th with a 3-wood. She later admitted she didn’t love the strike, but it ultimately did the trick. Korda had a perfect 3-wood approach distance waiting for her, allowing her to fire directly at the pin. She stuck it to 20 feet. If Korda needed one putt to drop all week, it was that one. An eagle would keep her alive heading into the final hole of regulation.
WHAT A PUTT FROM @NellyKorda
— LPGA (@LPGA) January 28, 2024
It's not over yet ???? pic.twitter.com/sxYN8Fxx7s
“Today I hit a 3-wood and had a perfect 3-wood in. Jay told me that bunker has been good to us so just aim at the bunker,” she said. “I hit this amazing high 3-wood, landed perfectly. I probably had just over 20 feet and rolled it dead center.”
As expected, Korda bombed her 18th tee shot down the middle, setting up a perfect 7-iron distance into the green. Korda said she “floated” her second shot more than she would have liked to, launching it a bit higher into the air than she intended. As the Golf Channel cameras zoomed in on the Olympic gold medalist, she could be seen uttering a final plea: “Fly. Please fly.”
ARE YOU KIDDING?!?!?!@NellyKorda isn't letting up on this one! pic.twitter.com/YbNw1NgAE9
— LPGA (@LPGA) January 28, 2024
The iron shot landed inches onto the putting surface, took one large hop and rolled to tap-in range. The roar was deafening. For a moment, McDede was seemingly convinced she had holed it for a walk-off win.
Two playoff holes later against Ko—who missed a short-range par putt to extend the sudden-death competition further—Korda had captured her ninth LPGA victory.
The moment @NellyKorda notched her ninth win ???? pic.twitter.com/xUFa57QWRJ
— LPGA (@LPGA) January 28, 2024
“I'm not going to lie and say that there weren't doubts and negative thoughts in my head,” Korda said. “Fortunately I have an amazing teammate, caddie, right next to me that I get to share the journey and the gray hairs with.”
Next, the Bradenton native will have seven long weeks of time off to prepare for the spring LPGA season and process the nail-biter victory. She’ll spend time with her sister, six-time LPGA winner Jessica Korda, whose February due date luckily wasn’t accelerated due to the younger Korda’s rollercoaster finish.
“[Jess] was like, ‘I thought he were going to send me into labor!’” Korda joked. “Thankfully baby is still in belly, so we're good.”
