(Photo credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images)
Nelly Korda drained a birdie putt on No. 17 and curled in a par putt at No. 18 on Sunday to win the U.S. Women's Open for the first time in her career at Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles.
Korda carded a 2-under 69 and finally was the last golfer standing in her 12th attempt to win the U.S. Women's Open, finishing at 8-under 276. England's Charley Hull (67) and Mexico's Gaby Lopez (68) finished one behind and were part of a late four-golfer battle that also included South Korea's In Gee Chun.
While Hull and Lopez were watching from the clubhouse to see if a playoff would occur, Korda lined up a 34-inch putt on No. 18. It went left and around the back lip of the cup before falling in to end a dramatic day at Riviera, located just blocks away from where the devastating fire roared through the Pacific Palisades neighborhood in early 2025.
Korda now has four major titles to her name, including both majors played so far in 2026. She was victorious at the Chevron Championship in April.
Lopez had roared into contention with four birdies on the back nine.
Chun (70) finished fourth at 6 under and fellow South Korean Sei Young Kim (72) was fifth at 5 under. Chun earlier needed a birdie at the final hole to catch Korda but missed an 8-foot par putt to finish with her third bogey over the last seven holes. She also had four birdies.
Kim, who shared the third-round lead with Korda, had four birdies and five bogeys.
Hull knocked in a 7-foot birdie putt on No. 17 to move to 7 under and tie Korda and Chun for the lead. Just before Hull's putt, Lopez missed a 4-foot par putt at the par-3 16th for her first bogey of the day and fell one shot off the pace.
Hull sank a 9-foot, 7-inch par putt at the 18th to remain tied for the lead. A short time later, Lopez made it a four-way tie at the top by making a 15-foot birdie putt to end her round.
Korda then took the solo lead by sinking a 9-footer for birdie at No. 17. It was one of her three birdies on the day against one bogey.
Hull got off to a sensational start, shooting 4 under over the first six holes with an eagle on the par-5 No. 1 and birdies on Nos. 3 and 6. She bogeyed No. 9 but steadied herself with birdies on 10 and 11.
She later bogeyed Nos. 12 and 14. Hull had five birdies and three bogeys in addition to the eagle.
Kiara Romero, a collegiate star at Oregon, fired a 68 to take low amateur honors and finish in a tie for sixth with Japan's Nasa Hataoka (72) at 3-under 281. Romero had five birdies and two bogeys while Hataoka registered three birdies and four bogeys.
Defending champion Maja Stark of Sweden shot 71 to finish in a sixth-way tie for eighth at 2-under 282. Colombian amateur Maria Jose Marin (71), who plays at Arkansas, also was at 2 under.
The others at 2 under were Allisen Corpuz (71), China's Ruoning Yin (73), Thailand's Pajaree Anannarukarn (67) and Jennifer Kupcho (74), who was tied for third entering the day.
Kupcho fell out of the race with three bogeys in the first seven holes. She had five overall to go with two birdies.
--Field Level Media
