LPGA Update: April 8

The LPGA is experiencing dominance at the swing of Nelly Korda.

She took her win streak to four after being the last woman standing in the T-Mobile LPGA matchplay event in Las Vegas.

Korda took down Leonia Maguire 4 & 3 in the championship match. She got to a hot start over the Irishwoman by winning four of the first seven holes. Maguire was unable to get closer than three down at times despite an attempt at a late resurgence.

In order to get to the finals, Korda defeated Angel Yin (one of her Solheim Cup teammates) 3 & 2 in the quarterfinals, and Narin An (an LPGA Tour rookie) 4 & 3 in the semis.

Maguire and Korda have battled before but this is only the second time the American walked away victorious. In Solheim Cup matchups, Maguire had defeated the current Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings No.1 player three of the four times.

Korda was simply dialed in on Sunday, and she has been all season.

Winning the Drive On Championship at her home course in Bradenton, FL, was a win that felt like it was brewing for a while for the 25-year-old golf phenom. She took seven weeks off, skipping the Asia swing of the season, and came back to competition with a playoff victory at the Fir Hills Seri Pak Championship, then became the inaugural Ford Champion out in Arizona before continuing to hit the jackpot in Vegas.

Now, Korda is the first American to win four or more consecutive starts since Nancy Lopez won five back in 1978. She’s matched her career-high wins in a season from her breakout 2021. Of her four wins then, one was a major championship, and in addition to all that she was an Olympic Gold Medalist.

2024 is starting to look similar, if not better.

The Olympics in Paris are just about four months away where Korda will get to defend her title. In Tokyo, she shared the podium with Mone Inami earning silver, and Lydia Ko bronze.

Before August, there are the major championships; the first one of the season is just two weeks away.

Korda will get a well-deserved week off before hitting the road to Texas for the Chevron Championship. Lilia Vu is the defending champion and the first Chevron Champ to defend the title at The Club at Carlton Woods. Previously, the championship was held at Mission Hills Country Club in California.

Major championships always have a different feel to them because of the pressure that mounts, but Korda has demonstrated her ability to work through adversity on the course and has always found ways to win that are anything but simple.

Adding another major to her resume would continue to elevate 2024 even more for women’s professional golf. It’s easy to focus on the men’s game on a more regular basis so take the week and enjoy the Masters. But once the green jacket gets placed in a new closet, keep a close eye on the LPGA because Korda is just history in the making.

Amanda Vogt is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, email amandaevogt@gmail.com