Jessica Korda of the United States swings her putter as she walks towards the 18th green during the third round of the LPGA Malaysia golf tournament at Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Saturday, October 10, 2015.
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The 22-year-old was winning for the fourth time on the LPGA Tour, victory coming over a strong field including the trio who tied for second – World No 2 Lydia Ko, No 3 Stacy Lewis and defending champion Shanshan Feng.
However, Ko tossed in a bogey five at the 13th to give Korda breathing space and the American, daughter of former Australia Open tennis champion Petr Korda, confidently negotiated the tricky water-filled closing stretch.
But it was Korda, who was visibly emotional before the final putt dropped, who took the acclaim for an excellent performance.
“It’s been such a long time and I’m so happy”, Korda said. “Just three weeks at home with my coach and family and working a lot on physical aspects and I found a love for the game back. So it’s just an incredible feeling”. “All the support that I’ve had, the people that have stuck with me this year, didn’t stop believing in me even when I did a little bit”.
At one stage on the back nine she was within two shots of Korda but the American always had the tournament under control.
“This golf course is just a shootout”, Lewis said. If there were any signs of nerves, she certainly didn’t show it. She made her lone bogey of the day at the par-4 11th but poured in birdies at 15 and 17 when it mattered most to close the deal.
“I didn’t actually get to talk to my dad”, Korda said.
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Feng also had a 66, and Lewis shot a 67. If somebody was going to make a hot start, that’s just the way it was going to be. Besides Malaysia, the players will also play in South Korea, Taiwan, China and Japan.
