Bradenton Native Claims 9th LPGA Title While Competing In Hometown

BRADENTON, FL — Bradenton native Nelly Korda claimed her ninth LPGA title while competing in her hometown earlier this week.

She overcame a three-stroke deficit Sunday to beat out New Zealander Lydia Ko with an eagle-birdie finish during the LPGA Drive On Championship at Bradenton Country Club, according to a news release from LPGA.

In calmer conditions after wind gusts to 30 mph at Bradenton Country Club, Korda won with a 3-foot par putt on the par-4 18th after Ko's 4-footer caught the lip and spun out.

"I seem to always make it very dramatic and interesting," Korda said. "So, there is no better feeling than to do it in front of a home crowd. What a day!"

Related Stories:

• Bradenton Golfer Nelly Korda Brings Home Olympic Gold
• World's No. 2 Golfer, Nelly Korda, Treated For Blood Clot In FL

The world's No. 2 ranked golfer in the world as of Monday, she took home a cash prize of $262,500, according to the tournament website.

In an Instagram post, Korda wrote Sunday, “#9 in home sweet home. What a day. What a week. Thank you.”

Not long after her big win, she spoke to her sister Jessica, also an LPGA tour golfer, who is nearing the birth of her first child.

"She was like, `I thought you were going to send me into labor,'" Korda said, according to the news release.

In August 2021, she brought home the gold medal for Team USA in the women’s golf competition during the Tokyo Summer Olympics.

The Korda sisters come from an athletic family. Their parents Petr Korda and Regina Kordova were professional tennis players, according to Nelly’s Olympics profile.

Their father, Petr, won the Australian Open singles title in 1998. Their mother, Kordova, represented Czechoslovakia at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul.

Their younger brother, Sebastian Korda, is also a professional tennis player. He reached the fourth round at Wimbledon this year.