Aramco Team Series – London: Nelly Korda returns to form to hold off Charley Hull
World No2 Nelly Korda lived up to her star billing by winning her first title on British soil at the Aramco Team Series – London.
Korda, who led by five overnight, shot a two-under-par final round of 71 to finish on 11 under and hold off a late charge from England’s Charley Hull.
Hull made six birdies and a bogey on Sunday to get to seven under but the Olympic champion kept her at arm’s length and birdied the last to win by four.
It was Korda’s first title since claiming the Pelican Women’s Championship on the LPGA Tour in November and comes after a slump in form.
The 24-year-old missed back-to-back cuts heading into her previous event, the US Women’s Open, where she finished in a share of 64th.
This win serves as a timely lift for the American ahead of the year’s fourth major, the Evian Championship in France next week, and the Women’s Open Championship next month.
It is also Korda’s second individual win at an Aramco Team Series event, having also won at Sotogrande in Spain last year.
Hull battled gamely during a topsy-turvy three days at Centurion Club in St Albans and might have toppled Korda but for a quintuple bogey on Friday.
She overcame that to birdie eight of her next 11 holes and card a 68 only to suffer a difficult second round on Saturday and shoot 76.
South African Nicole Garcia capped a steady week with a final round of 71 to finish on five under in outright third place.
Irish LPGA star Leona Maguire was two shots further back in fourth, one better than last year’s runner-up Georgia Hall.
Defending champion Bronte Law closed with a 76 to finish on seven over par in a share of 43rd.
Hall had the consolation of captaining the winning team over the first two days, scoring 24 under to pip Team Hull by one stroke.