PACIFIC PALISADES — As Nelly Korda watched her ball circle the entire perimeter of the cup on Riviera Country Club’s famed 18th green, for one moment the world’s No. 1-ranked player may have thought her lifelong dream of winning the U.S. Women’s Open was about to be shattered yet again.
But a moment later, when Korda’s 3-foot par putt dropped into the heart of the cup, it secured not only her first U.S. Women’s Open title, but it further cemented her place as the definitive, transcendent alpha figure women’s professional sports have long craved.
With her one-shot victory over Charley Hull and Gaby Lopez, who tied for second at 7-under 277, the 27-year-old Korda became just the ninth women’s golfer to secure four major championships before age 28. She is also the first American golfer to win four major championships since Hall of Famer Mickey Wright accomplished the feat in 1960.
Asked what she was thinking as she watched her putt circle the cup, Korda smiled and said, “Why did I leave myself that long a putt?”
“It was like, a left-to-righter, the wind off of my left. I was like, good lord,” Korda said. “I knew that I didn’t want to miss it right, so I like maybe had aimed a little bit too far left and pulled it. I mean, your heart rate is going. I wish I had my WHOOP like showcase my heart rate, because it was definitely high. One of the top moments (of her career). I’ve had so many amazing moments but I’m just grateful to be sitting right here. I mean that putt is the reason why I’m here.”
Tied for the lead at 6 under heading into Sunday’s final round, Korda methodically made her way around Riviera despite having what she described as her “C-level” game. While she made three birdies, Korda more importantly made just one bogey. Multiple times during the final round, Korda kept her title hopes alive by converting either a crucial par putt or a key up-and-down from off the green, allowing her to remain at or near the top of the leaderboard.
“This week was definitely a grind,” Korda said. “I don’t even feel like I had my B game. I was just grinding out there. And that’s what I guess major championships are all about, right? It doesn’t matter if you have your B or C game, you have to be there mentally.”
From the moment she teed it up as a 14-year-old amateur in the 2013 U.S. Women’s Open, Korda demonstrated the physical tools needed to win her country’s national championship. But for most of her career, each time she teed it up in the U.S. Women’s Open, she found a way to self-destruct.
“Every year I like never played well (at the U.S. Open),” Korda said. “I was always over par, or I made a mess of a hole like at Lancaster. I just felt like that dream (of being a U.S. Open champion) was almost kind of like slipping away. But it was still keeping me very much so motivated.”
Finally, in 2025 at Erin Hills, Korda felt like she turned the corner, finishing second and being in contention until the final hole. Being in the hunt rekindled Korda’s belief that she could indeed contend and possibly win a U.S. Women’s Open. Believing that the dream was very much a reality freed Korda up to put it aside and just go out and play.
Her renewed belief was put to the test during the opening round when she struggled out of the gate, posting a 2-over 73 on Thursday.
“I’ve had doubts, even mid round I was like, well, will I ever win it,” Korda said. “I mean you always have those doubts. But I think you’re just a human being if you have them. I don’t know if a weight has been lifted off of my shoulders, but I just think I’m just extremely proud of my fight this week and the dream of that little girl that you kind of get to check that off your bucket list.”
One of the key moments of her final round came at the par-3 14th hole, where Korda’s tee shot ended up in a greenside bunker. Several other contenders, including Lopez, Hull and In Gee Chun, also hit their tee shots into the bunker, and all made bogey.
But not Korda, who calmly blasted out to 4 feet and then converted the putt for par, retaining her lead and giving her positive momentum to take into her final four holes.
“I would not be sitting here if it wasn’t for my lovely wedge and my lovely putter,” Korda said. “You want to be aggressive, and it was definitely windier out there today, but I just kept putting my head down and trying to give myself the best opportunity. The only thing I was always hoping for was if I was in a bunker I was like, please don’t plug. After I saw my lie, I was like, okay, I’m just going to give myself the best opportunity I can, and if it happens, it happens. I’m just going to go in and commit to the shot that I need to hit and I did.”
While Korda played consistent, steady golf throughout her final round, Hull, who was three shots behind the leaders at the start of the day, knew if she wanted to have any chance to hoist the trophy, she needed to let loose and go for it.
And from her eagle on the opening hole to converting a clutch 8-foot par putt on the final hole to post 7 under in the clubhouse, Hull did everything she could to win.
“It’s just frustrating, another second place,” Hull said. “I think that’s five second place finishes I’ve had in majors now. But I love the feel of being under the gun, under pressure. It’s not like a life and death situation, but you know that adrenaline that you get, that adrenaline like you can’t put anything – like can’t put anything wrong because you got to carry on and go, and when you do go wrong you got to bounce back. I love that feeling. It’ll be a massive comedown tomorrow, not because I come second but because the adrenaline goes out of my body. I love the feeling.”
Korda knew she was tied with Hull and Lopez at 7 under as she stood over her 9-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole because of the giant scoreboard just off the green. She knew if she converted, the long-awaited U.S. Women’s Open title would be within her reach.
“I was looking right at it. It was right there. I knew I needed to make it.”
She did. After a perfect drive on 18, Korda took the walk that so many champions have taken, strolling up Riviera’s famed 18th fairway, staring at the overflow crowd sitting around the green that was waiting to cheer her victory.
“It kind of gave me vibes of like in Paris where it was just a very great golf course for fans to watch, where there’s not a bad seat in the house,” Korda said. “It makes it really cool to walk up to see the iconic clubhouse and everyone sitting around cheering me on. I had to honestly tell myself, okay, stay in the moment, stay in the moment, because I was dreaming, I was dreaming of hoisting the trophy a little too early. And I kept reverting back. I’m like, the job’s not done, the job’s not done.”
A few minutes later, as her final putt dropped, the dream was now truly reality.
“I’ve never really thought about the legacy of my career, if I’m being completely honest,” Korda said. “I just really love competing. I didn’t feel my best on the back nine. I had a lot of emotions kind of swirling in my stomach. I would say it’s just a dream come true. I have dreamt about this moment since I was a little girl. I watched my sister compete in the Women’s Open from a really young age. I mean, she started at the age of 15. So, it’s just been, it’s honestly just a dream come true sitting next to this trophy.”