Nelly Korda claims stunning Aramco Team Series win from 10 back as sister Jessica falls apart in Sotogrande
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Updated 20/08/2022 at 16:17 GMT
The Aramco Team Series made its way to Sotogrande and it was a special occasion. Team Jessica Korda won the team element of the event on the back of some brilliant play over the course of the first couple of days. She was well placed to secure victory in the individual event, but her game deserted her and it was left to sister Nelly to storm from out of the pack to claim the win.
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Nelly Korda fought back from 10 shots behind with 16 holes to play to win the Aramco Team Series event in Sotogrande, as her sister Jessica suffered a huge meltdown.
Jessica Korda had played brilliant golf for two days, and equalled the lowest round in Ladies European Tour history in the opening round, as she secured victory in the team element of the event.
The elder Korda looked certain to win the individual event as well when making birdies on her opening two holes to open up a seven-shot advantage.
The lead was 10 shots over her sibling after Nelly made a bogey on the second hole, but the drama to follow was quite remarkable.
Things started to go awry for Jessica on the fourth at La Reserva Club as she made a bogey, and three more followed on the front nine.
A further bogey followed on 10 and at that point she had been overtaken at the top of the leaderboard. It was not by her sister, rather Pauline Roussin of France.
One hole later, Jessica was back in front as she made a nerve-easing birdie on 11. That was not the story of the 11th hole, that belonged to Roussin.
After a brilliant tee shot, Roussin sent her approach through the back and into the sand. Her bunker shot was poor, but not as bad as the four putts to follow as she carded a triple-bogey seven to tumble out of contention.
Final Leaderboard
- 1. Nelly Korda, 13-under
- T2. Pauline Roussin, 10-under
- T2. Ana Pelaez Trivino, 10-under
- T2. Jessica Korda, 10-under
- T5. Emma Grechi, nine-under
- T5. Pia Babnik, nine-under
With seven holes to play, the tournament was back in Jessica’s control. But the shadow of her sister loomed large - a shadow that was easy to spot as Nelly was struggling with a cough.
Nelly’s play was steady rather than spectacular during the opening two days, and that pattern looked set to continue as she got nothing going early on.
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But from nowhere, putts began to drop. She finished the back nine with three birdies and made three more on 12, 13 and 14. From 10 back, she was in front by two shots.
Jessica asked a question with a birdie on 16, but Nelly followed her in to keep her two shot advantage, and Jessica's race was run on the 17th as a terrible tee shot went way left and into the water.
It was likely a difficult watch for the Korda family, as Jessica wilted under pressure, but world No. 3 Nelly stood tall to secure her first win since suffering a blood clot in her arm earlier in the year.
Nelly's margin of victory was three shots, as she carded a 67 to finish at 13-under while Jessica finished at 10-under after a closing round of 77.
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