2026 Chevron Championship ends with a Nelly Korda coronation — and a cannonball

The first women's major of the year unfolded much like the first men's: the world No. 2 broke records at the halfway mark before closing out the win over the final two rounds.

Nelly Korda is in good company with Rory McIlroy, although the difference between the two is Korda entered Sunday's Chevron Championship with a five-shot lead and maintained it, ultimately winning at 18 under. McIlroy held on for dear life and somehow coasted to his second consecutive Masters title.

Korda got out to a hot start in the opening rounds, carding identical 65s on Thursday and Friday. Her 36-hole total of 130 was the lowest in the history of an LPGA major championship, excluding the newest major: The Amundi Evian Championship. It's also the first time in Korda's career that she has carded a pair of 65s to start a major.

It ended up being a good omen.

Although she slowed down over the weekend, another pair of identical scores — this time matching 70s — over Saturday and Sunday sealed the deal.

"That was a hard weekend," Korda said. "Honestly. having that big of a lead, it's not easy. It was definitely one of the hardest things I've had to do mentally."

The exclamation point to Korda's dominating performance was a long par putt on the final hole. She might not have been under any pressure — the win well within her grasp — but it was a fitting end that showed how dialed in her game is right now.

The 27-year-old appeared relaxed and was smiling as the final round came to a close. In the moments following the inaugural win for the Chevron at Houston's Memorial Park, she cannonballed into the temporary pool fixture near the 18th green, continuing the major's storied tradition at its new home.

There were concerns about the move to Memorial Park earlier in the week, especially during the first round when Korda was playing with nearly no crowd — an eerily quiet setting far from what the men had at the Texas Children's Houston Open a month ago. But attendance improved over the following days, and by Sunday, Korda was trailed by a large crowd, ending with them filling the 18th fairway to watch her final putt drop.

This is Korda's third major win and second win at the Chevron in three years. It's also her 17th win on the LPGA Tour. She is projected to usurp Jeeno Thitikul come Monday as she returns to No. 1 in the world for the first time since August 2025. Korda previously held the No. 1 spot in the Rolex Rankings for more than a year between March 2024 and August 2025.

After going winless in 2025, Korda has five starts on tour this season and hasn't finished lower than second. This is her second win of 2026 after the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions in January.

Korda has been one of the biggest stars in the game for years, but at this pace, she less resembles McIlroy and more resembles her counterpart at the top of the men's world rankings: Scottie Scheffler — someone who is always in the mix, week in and week out.