Even as Nelly Korda hit her final putt at the 81st U.S. Women’s Open, doubt started to creep in.
The U.S. Women’s Open has long challenged Korda. In 11 appearances before 2026, the 27-year-old from Bradenton, Florida, had only three top-10 finishes and three missed cuts. She tied for second in 2025 but hadn’t secured the title.
Korda, the No. 1 player in the world, held a one-shot lead over two players as she hit her putt on the 18th green at The Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, California. It swirled around the hole and hung on the rim of the cup before eventually dropping into the tin. The 86-centimeter par putt granted Korda her first U.S. Women’s Open and fourth major championship title of her career.
“Even mid-round, I was like ‘Well, will I ever win it,’ right?” Korda said after her win. “I mean, you always have those doubts.”
Korda opened with a 2-over-par 73 and sat tied for 47th after the first round. Even after one round, it seemed like Korda would revert to her U.S. Women’s Open form of recent years.
After the round, Korda’s older sister Jess saw something wrong with Nelly’s grip. Jess suggested a change, one of the hardest things to do while actively competing for a major championship.
But it worked. Korda followed her first round with a 4-under-par 67 in round two. Then, a third-round 67 put Korda in a tie for first place with Sei Young Kim as she went to sleep Saturday night.
Throughout the final round, Korda had people overtake her. England’s Charley Hull started the day 4 under par through six holes. In Gee Chun took a two-shot lead after back-to-back birdies on the 10th and 11th holes.
But Korda prevailed. In Gee Chun recorded three bogeys on holes 12, 13, and 18 after her consecutive birdies. Hull had two bogeys on the back nine. And with a 2.79-meter putt on the 17th green, Korda recorded her first and only birdie on the back nine, which put her at 8 under par for the tournament and gave her a one-stroke lead she didn’t give up.
Korda won the most prestigious women’s professional golf tournament on one of the most prestigious golf courses, cementing her name in golf history.
The U.S. Women’s Open win was a continuation of the dominance Korda has had this season in professional women’s golf. She won the first major of the year in the Chevron Championship in late April. Including her two majors, Korda has four total wins this season and has finished outside of the top two just once — a tied-for-eighth-place finish the week before the U.S. Women’s Open.
Her dominance comes after a drought of success in American women’s golf. Korda is the youngest American golfer to reach four major wins since Mickey Wright in 1960. And while Korda just has four majors so far in her career, which isn’t close to Patty Berg’s 15 major titles or Wright’s 13, she continues to place herself amongst the best to ever play.
Korda’s win also gave her two more points toward the LPGA Hall of Fame. She now has 25 total points, which is just two points shy of being inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Korda’s success on the golf course is only part of the story. She credited much of her success to a mentality shift she had leading into this year’s U.S. Women’s Open.
After her bounce-back round on Friday, Korda said part of her ability to rebound after her poor first round was a change in mentality that she had to make. She took accountability for her emotions, which at times had held her back.
“At the end of the day, I think I have to come to terms with my attitude change,” Korda said. “Like, I can express my frustrations. I can express my frustrations to my parents, to a sports psychologist, but the only person at the end of the day that can change that is myself.”
She said she’s become more positive. The result of that mindset change was seen Sunday evening at The Riviera Country Club as Korda hoisted The Harton S. Semple Trophy with a wide grin on her face.
Finally, Nelly Korda is a U.S. Women’s Open Champion.
