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06/07 19:28 CDT Nelly Korda wins U.S. Women's Open title with perilous final putt, claiming her 2nd straight major Nelly Korda wins U.S. Women's Open title with perilous final putt, claiming her 2nd straight major By GREG BEACHAM AP Sports Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) --- Nelly Korda won the 81st U.S. Women's Open on Sunday for her second consecutive major victory, holding off Charley Hull and Gaby Lopez by one shot when her final 2 1/2-foot par putt curled perilously around the cup and dropped in. Korda's first U.S. Open win is the fourth major victory of her career, and she claimed it with a steady 2-under 69 in the final round --- but only after her second putt on the 18th green caught the left edge and toured half the circumference of the hole before falling. The top-ranked Korda put her hand over her open mouth in disbelief before finally laughing at the frightening way she had finished a victory that emphasized her dominance of the sport. She finished at 8-under 269 after sharing the lead with multiple competitors throughout the windy finale of the first Women's Open ever held at 100-year-old Riviera. "I feel like I'm in a dream," Korda told the gallery. "I just can't even explain how much this means to me with all of you here cheering me on." Korda made a 9-foot birdie putt on the 17th to break out of a four-way tie for the lead with Lopez, the hard-charging Hull and three-time major champion In Gee Chun. Korda two-putted for par on the 18th, claiming the $2.5 million winner's share of this Open's record $12.5 million purse. The 27-year-old Korda won The Chevron Championship in April, and she had three victories and three second-place finishes in her first seven starts of a spectacular season after going winless in 2025. After a rough opening-round 73 during which she changed out of a pair of Nike shoes given to her by LeBron James, she coolly put together back-to-back 67s to take a share of the lead into the final round. The leaderboard only separated late on Sunday after seven players began within two strokes of the lead. Four shared the lead late, but only Korda avoided a bogey on the back nine, allowing her to fend off excellent final rounds from England's Hull and Mexico's Lopez, who both narrowly missed out on their first major victories. Hull began the day three shots back, but she charged into the lead before the wind picked up off the Pacific and led to a roller-coaster finish --- for everybody except Korda. The champion made just three birdies and a bogey, playing steadily and comfortably with her improved competitive mentality. Korda has stressed positivity and steadiness after her inexplicably winless 2025, and it has paid off with one of the most outstanding starts to a season in recent golf history. Three-time major champion In Gee Chun finished two shots back at 6-under 278, while third-round co-leader Sei Young Kim carded a 1-over 72 to finish at 279. Hull played her first two rounds at 3 over, squeezing under the cut by one stroke while saying she had been confused by the speed of the greens. The Englishwoman decided to play with all the aggression she could muster Saturday, and she played the final two rounds at 10 under, including Saturday's low round at 65. Hull started three groups ahead of the leaders on a sunny Sunday in Pacific Palisades, and she was hunting flagsticks again. She eagled the first hold before briefly seizing the lead with back-to-back birdies after her turn. Hull's bogey on the 14th left Lopez, Chun, Kim and Korda all tied for the lead at 7 under. When Kim and Lopez fell back with bogeys, Korda added to her string of nine consecutive pars. After Hull made a 7-foot birdie putt on the 17th to regain a share of the lead, Korda barely missed a 22-foot birdie putt on the 16th. Hull ended with a 9 1/2-foot par putt for her 67. A few minutes later, Lopez made her 15-foot putt to join the pack of leaders, but Korda pulled ahead moments later with her comfortable birdie on the 17th. Korda dropped her approach shot squarely on the 18th green and two-putted to another major victory -- but only after a major last-second scare. ___ AP golf: https://apnews.com/golf

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