Jessica Korda poses with the winner’s trophy on Sunday. (AFP-Yonhap)
PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas (AP) ― Jessica Korda won the season-opening Bahamas LPGA Classic on Sunday for her second tour title, holing a 6-foot birdie putt on the final hole to beat Stacy Lewis by a stroke.
The 20-year-old Korda closed with a 7-under 66 for a 19-under 273 total on Atlantis Resort’s Ocean Club course. Lewis parred the final four holes ― two of them par 5s ― for a 66.
Korda tied Lewis for the lead with a 12-foot birdie putt on the par-3 17th, then got up-and-down for birdie on the par-5 18th. Korda’s 4-iron approach on 18 scampered through the green to the fringe just short of the grandstand. With an official and a TV announcer holding up cords that would have interfered with her stroke, she putted under the wires to set up the winning birdie.
“That was different,” Korda said. “It was like jump rope.”
She passed up a free drop.
“It wasn’t a hard decision at all,” Korda said. “I felt I had a good lie there. It looked too difficult on either side, so I just stayed right where I was. I remember when I had the pleasure of playing with Jack Nicklaus, he told me a bad putt is always better than a bad chip.”
She admitted she was nervous on the winning putt.
“Incredible!” Korda said. “I could barely put the golf ball down and line up.”
The 2012 Women’s Australian Open winner, Korda recently started working with swing coach Grant Price. She struggled with her swing last year and felt that it led to some injuries in her left shoulder and wrist.
“I’m really just trying to hit good golf shots and get that swing down,” Korda said.