It is not often that a golfer comes along and dominates their tour. Odds on favorite to win every time they tee it up. Hitting fairways and greens. Sinking putts. Chipping in. Lapping the field in the season long points race. There are never TWO professional golfers doing so simultaneously. Until now. With their wins this weekend, in their last 10 tournaments combined, Nelly Korda and Scott Scheffler have competed against 1,163 golfers. They’ve lost to exactly one.
When Nelly Korda teed it up on Thursday for the first round of the Chevron Championship, the first LPGA major of the season, she was looking to join Nancy Lopez and Annika Sorenstam as only the third player in LPGA history to win five consecutive tournaments. Having to play 27 holes on Sunday due to Saturday’s third round being cut short by rain, Korda found herself in a tie for second one stroke off the lead as they began the final round. With her top competition faltering, Korda made the turn at 13 under with a 3 shot lead. Maja Stark made it interesting for Korda, finishing at 11 under one back with Korda needing to play the par 5 18th. After hitting her 2nd shot over the green, Nelly rolled in her birdie putt to claim her second major title (2021 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Sebonack). Following tradition Korda jumped into the pond adjacent to the 18th green executing a perfect cannonball.
Just a week removed from donning his second green jacket at Augusta, Scottie Scheffler carded a 3 under 68 Monday morning to take a 3 stroke victory in the RBC Heritage at Harbour Town Golf Links. The RBC was made a Signature event this year and the win was worth $3.6 million. It was Scheffler’s 4th win in his last five starts, his only loss a second place finish to Stephan Jaeger at the Houston Open.
Scheffler’s win was his tenth on tour in 51 career starts. He becomes the second fastest to reach that milestone only behind David Duval who only needed 33 starts to win his tenth title. To put it in perspective, Tiger Woods needed 59 starts for 10 victories. With the win Scottie now has 3915 points in the season long Race for the FedEx Cup. The difference between Scottie and second place (Wyndham Clark) is greater than the distance between 2nd and 222nd (last of all golfers who have earned Cup points this season).
In other news around professional golf, Billy Horschel shot an astounding 9 under in his final round to take the opposite field event, the Corales Puntacana Championship, by 2 strokes over Wesley Bryan. Fifteen year old Miles Russell, the youngest player to ever make a cut at a Korn Ferry Tour event, shot five under on Sunday to finish T-20 earning him an exemption into this weeks KFT tournament.
