Korda wins third LPGA title with fantastic finish

MOBILE, United States: Jessica Korda, the 21-year-old daughter of retired tennis star Petr Korda, birdied four of the last five holes Sunday to win the Airbus LPGA Classic.

Korda fired a bogey-free seven-under par 65, playing the last nine holes in six-under 30, to finish 72 holes on 20-under par 268 and defeat Sweden´s Anna Nordqvist by one stroke.

It was the third career LPGA victory for Korda, who won the 2012 Australian Women´s Open and this year´s season opener in the Bahamas.Korda gave much of the credit to how well the Robert Trent Jones Trail Crossings course matched up with her skills.

Korda birdied the par-4 seventh but was still well off the pace until the back nine, when her putts began to fall. She began the back nine with a birdie, added another at 12 and sank a curvy 12-footer at the 14th to begin a run of three in a row, including a tense 15-footer at 15 and a tap-in at the par-5 16th to seize a two-stroke lead.

At 18, Korda curled in a birdie putt that forced Nordqvist to make an eagle to match her. The Swede dropped a long birdie putt but it only trimmed Korda´s victory margin.

Korda became the third multi-event winner on the LPGA Tour this season, joining Nordqvist and Australian Karrie Webb.

England´s Charley Hull, Scotland´s Catriona Matthew and American Michelle Wie shared third on 270, with South Korean Jenny Shin on 271 and American Lexi Thompson, South Korean Ji Eun-Hee and England´s Jodi Ewart Shadoff on 272.

American world number two Stacy Lewis, who had the chance to overtake South Korean Park In-Bee atop the rankings this week, failed in her bid at the top spot.

Lewis, who needed a solo third-place finish or better to become number one, fired a 71 -- the worst final round of anyone in the top 18 -- to settle for share of 10th on 273. Along finishing on 273 were Spain´s Belen Mozo, American Brittany Lincicome and South Korean Ryu So-Yeon. (AFP)