It’s easy to forget that bitter north wind: damp, thick and as stinging as a barroom slap. On Sunday last year at Lake Nona, the first time the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions was contested at the classic Orlando course – Tom Fazio’s first solo design – a tongue of artic air slinked down to Central Florida, causing fans and players alike to squeeze their eyes shut and walk backward into the biting breeze.
No one complained. Even the hearty souls who gathered for the outdoor dinners and concerts, which included the likes of LeAnn Rimes and Sheryl Crow, bundled up like extras in a “White Christmas” remake. They put on their best faces and sang along: “I’m gonna soak up the sun / I’m gonna tell everyone to lighten up.”
Nelly Korda, the No.1 player in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings at the time, took a one-shot lead into the final round and seemed like she was on a coronation tour. Korda had won a major and an Olympic gold medal the year before. She played the 2022 Sunday season-opener with Annika Sorenstam, the reigning U.S. Senior Women’s Open champion who rode her personal golf cart to the clubhouse at Lake Nona from her home on the back nine. Sorenstam had become a staple in the celebrity portion of the competition and was thrilled to, once again, see Nelly up close.
But Korda struggled early in that final round, making a couple of bogeys and a string of pars, which opened the door for Gaby Lopez, Brooke Henderson, and Danielle Kang.
Henderson hung in despite a shaky putter, while Lopez caught fire and opened up a three-shot lead in the middle of the final round.
Not many people paid attention to Kang, which is exactly how the Californian liked it. Danielle always plays better with a chip on her shoulder, often fabricating slights in her mind as motivation.
Even par through eight holes on Sunday, Kang made her second birdie of the day on the par-5 ninth. That got her within two of Lopez. Then she went on a tear. Kang birdied the par-5 11th to tie the lead after Lopez began to struggle. Then she reeled off three birdies in a row in wind so cold that even the hockey players pulled up their collars and hid their hands in their pockets.
Kang’s shot of the week came at the par-5 15th and went largely unnoticed at the time. After her second shot nestled into a low, tightly mown area right of the green, Kang faced the kind of chip that drives amateurs nuts. The green ran away and looked like an upside-down pie plate, elevated just enough to make you want to lift the ball rather than strike it cleanly.
“I worked on that shot with Butch (Harmon),” Kang said at the time. The shot in question was an old-school, dead-handed pitch where she stood the shaft up and played the ball off the toe of her most lofted wedge. Harmon learned that shot from Johnny Revolta, one of the best wedge players from golf’s golden age. Tom Watson learned it from Byron Nelson. “It’s a shot you don’t see much, anymore,” Paul Azinger said. “But a lot of players have made good livings after learning to hit it.”
Kang executed the pitch perfectly, hitting the ball to three feet where she made her third birdie in a row.
That proved to be enough. A bogey on 16 dropped her to 16-under for the week, which is where she finished, three better than Henderson and four clear of Lopez.
“My mental game was really good,” Kang said. “I had a really good attitude all day today and yesterday. I know I left some putts out there, but I never let it get to me and I kept having to give myself birdie chances as much as possible.
“I shot 4-under in the cold today and 3-under yesterday. Probably the best I’ve ever played in the cold. And I’m proud of myself for that.”
The victory would take on extra significance later in the year. At the U.S. Women’s Open at Pine Needles, Kang told a group of reporters that she had been battling a tumor on her spine and would be taking some time off to attend to her health. It was almost 10 weeks before she reappeared at the CP Women’s Open. After that, Kang finished with a flurry, losing in a playoff to Atthaya Thitikul at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship after an incredible hole-out eagle on the par-5 18th. She then finished T3 at the LPGA MEDIHEAL Championship, T10 at the BMW Ladies Championship, and T15 at the CME Group Tour Championship.
Kang is set to defend her title next week at Lake Nona, healthy, grateful, and still tougher than a California cypress standing tall in a cold and wet north gale.
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