Korda beats Maguire in fourth straight Tour win

Las Vegas (Agencies): Nelly Korda beat Leona Maguire to win the T-Mobile Match Play at Shadow Creek in Las Vegas for her fourth straight LPGA Tour victory.

American Korda, 25, won four of the first seven holes as she beat Ireland’s Maguire 4&3. Korda, ranked number one in the world, is the first woman to win four straight tournaments since Mexico’s Lorena Ochoa in 2008.

“I can’t even wrap my head around it,” said Korda. “Such a whirlwind of the last three weeks. I just feel like I was just in go-mode constantly.” Korda was five up after 12 holes before Maguire showed resilience in taking 13 and 14, but ended the match with a par win on the 15th. “It’s always nice to get a lead, kind of like a cushion,” said Korda.

“But it’s Leona. She’s such a fiery competitor. I knew when I lost those two holes in a row, 13 and 14, that I really needed to put my foot down to finish the match off.”

The tournament’s format changed this year to three days of strokeplay, with the top eight advancing to matchplay on the weekend.

Korda beat US compatriot Angel Yin 3&2 in the last eight before overcoming South Korea’s Na-Rin An 4&3, while Maguire defeated Thailand’s Moriya Jutanugarn 4&3 and Korean Sei-young Kim 3&2.

Korda’s victory follows successes at the Drive On Championship, Los Angeles Open and Arizona Championship. She will attempt to tie the record of five – set by American Nancy Lopez in 1978 and matched by Sweden’s Annika Sorenstam in 2004-05 – in two weeks at the season’s first major, the Chevron Championship outside Houston.