Jessica Korda birdied four of the last five holes to cap a bogey-free 7-under-par 65 and claim a one-stroke victory over Anna Nordqvist of Sweden in the Airbus LPGA Classic on the Crossings Course at Magnolia Grove on the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail in Mobile, Ala.
The 21-year-old Korda played the back nine in 6-under 30 to break out of a six-way tie for the lead and claim her third LPGA Tour victory and second of the year, as she also won the season opening Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic.
Korda took sole possession of the lead with a 20-foot lead on the 14th hole and sank a 15-footer on the last hole to take a two-stroke lead, before Nordqvist also made a birdie on the final hole.
“I just love this course and I love Alabama,” said Korda, daughter of former tennis star Petr Korda of the Czech Republic. “It just sets up great for my game and I can really read the greens.
“I went back to my old driver at the start of the week and my confidence kept growing all the way. I stayed patient and didn’t get frustrated. It was a relaxing day and I just enjoyed the walk.”
Nordqvist, the former All-American at Arizona State who was seeking her third victory of the season after not winning since her rookie year of 2009, bounced back from two bogeys on the front nine with four birdies on the back in a round of 69.
Michelle Wie, trying for her second win of the season, closed with a 67 and finished two shots back in a tie for third with Charley Hull, 18, of England, who closed with a 67, and Catriona Matthew, 44, of Scotland, who came in with a 69.
Stacy Lewis, who could have taken the No. 1 spot in the Women’s World Golf Ranks by finishing solo third or better, wound up with a 71 and fell seven spots to a tie for 10th.
