PHOENIX – PHOENIX (AP) — Hyo Joo Kim beat Nelly Korda for the second straight week, pulling away around the turn Sunday and closing with a 3-under 69 for a two-shot victory in the Ford Championship.
Kim was poised to break the LPGA Tour’s scoring record for 72 holes until one mistake led to a double bogey on the eighth hole and allowed Korda to pull within one shot. But the American missed a pair of short putts, Kim made an 18-inch birdie and the lead was back to four shots.
Korda never got any closer until the tournament was out of reach, finishing eagle-birdie for a 67.
Hyo Joo Kim, right, of South Korea, celebrates with caddie Travis Wilson after winning the LPGA Ford Championship golf tournament, Sunday, March 29, 2026, in Chandler, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Kim, who also won the Ford Championship last year, now has back-to-back wins for the first time in her career, both against Korda.
Last week in the Founders Cup, the 30-year-old South Korean held off a Sunday charge by Korda.
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Canadian Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., finished in a seven-way tie for 53rd at 8 under.
Kim finished at 28-under 260, three shots short of the LPGA’s scoring record.