Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings No. 2 Nelly Korda secured her 16th career LPGA Tour victory on Sunday at the season-opening Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions in Orlando, Fla.

Korda posted an 8-under 64 in the third round to take the lead at 13-under, a Moving-Day effort that saw the two-time major champion card one bogey, seven birdies and a hole-out eagle on the par-4 third hole.

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Then, after play was suspended on Saturday evening due to unplayable conditions, the decision was made to shorten the event to 54 holes once the eight players who still needed to complete round three finished play on Sunday afternoon. As a result, Korda was declared the first champion of the 2026 LPGA Tour season, winning by three strokes over Orlando resident Amy Yang.

“It feels amazing,” said Korda, who is now the 28th different American with at least 16 victories. “I'm just super proud of Jason (McDede, her caddie) and I yesterday for how we fought those conditions. For my team, I wouldn't be here without them. We're all pieces of a puzzle. I wouldn't be who I am without them. Just so grateful.”

The title is Korda’s first victory since the 2024 ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican, and it’s the second time that she has triumphed at Lake Nona Golf and Country Club, as Nelly won the Gainbridge LPGA that was contested at this property back in 2021. However, before this week, Korda had never finished better than solo second in the Tournament of Champions, earning a whopping five top-five results in her seven previous starts in the LPGA’s season-opening tournament.

Because of how well she has played at this venue in the past, this event is one that Korda had to have expected to check off her list at some point or another. And while it might not have been in the 72-hole fashion that she might’ve hoped, considering the noise and criticism that surrounded the victory drought she experienced in 2025, Korda couldn’t have been more pleased to get this title across the finish line, even more so after playing what she said was one of the rounds of her life in Saturday’s blustery conditions.

“It feels amazing. I've played some really solid golf out here,” Korda said. “I've come close, just haven't notched the victory. But to play the golf that I played yesterday was – I think that's one of my best rounds that I've ever played in my entire life. To come out on top just feels amazing. To do that in front of my family and friends, fiancé for the first time, was really special.”

Republic of Korea native Yang was one of the eight athletes who still needed to wrap up their third rounds on Sunday, ultimately posting a 69 to close out her week at Lake Nona and to finish three strokes behind Korda at 10-under overall.

The runner-up performance is the 36-year-old’s first top-10 showing on the LPGA Tour since she tied for eighth in her title defense at the 2024 CME Group Tour Championship at Tiburón Golf Club and is by far her best result ever in the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions.

But the strong showing in her adopted hometown was even more validating for the veteran, as after a breakout 2024 season during which she won her first major championship, Yang had a particularly difficult 2025 that saw her card just one top-20 result and finish 98th in the Race to the CME Globe.

“I wish we played the fourth round, but I think I did really well last three rounds,” Yang said. “I think I just proved to myself that I prepared well in the offseason, and I have more clear idea what to work on for the next few days for the actual, full travel starts. I'm happy how I played this week.”

In her last start for the foreseeable future with her sister, Brittany, as her caddie, Canadian and 2023 Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions winner Brooke Henderson came in solo third at 7-under. She was closely pursued by Lake Nona member Lydia Ko, who is also a past champion of this event.

Four first-time participants took up the next four positions on the leaderboard, as 2026 rookie Youmin Hwang and 2025 AIG Women’s Open champion tied for fifth at 5-under, while Rolex Rankings No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul and Englishwoman Lottie Woad tied for seventh at 4-under.

Six athletes tied for ninth at 3-under total, one of whom was defending champion A Lim Kim. Playing in the celebrity division, former tennis professional Mardy Fish won his third Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions title, finishing atop the leaderboard with 126 points in the modified Stableford competition.

Nelly Korda Collects 16th Career Title at Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions

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