Nelly Korda’s adventurous start to the 2026 LPGA Tour season continued this weekend. On Sunday, the World No. 2 threw away a comeback rally with a late 3-putt from short range in the final round to lose the 2026 Fortinet Founders Cup by one shot.
Technically, Korda ended a lengthy win drought at the first LPGA tournament of the season. But that victory came in controversial fashion (more on that below). A win Sunday in a full 72-hole event would have silenced any critics doubting her ability to rise back to World No. 1.
But as has happened often to Korda in recent years, some squirrelly play down the stretch doomed her chances.
Korda misses 3-foot putt to lose Fortinet Founders Cup
At the start of Sunday’s final round at the Founders Cup, Korda may not have had a victory in mind. Though she sat in second place, she was a distant five shots behind 54-hole leader Hyo Joo Kim.
That dynamic changed in a hurry.
After an early bogey at the 2nd hole, Korda blitzed the rest of Sharon Heights Golf and Country Club’s front nine with five birdies. After a sixth birdie at the par-5 10th hole, Korda had completely erased the five-shot deficit.
With eight holes to play, Korda and Kim were knotted at 17 under. Despite making a bogey at 16, Kim had re-taken the lead by one shot by the time the final pairing reached the par-3 17th hole.
Heading into 17, Korda had made four-straight pars as she watched Kim begin to struggle. When Korda found the 17th green with her tee shot and Kim missed long, it looked as if Korda would at least tie the lead, if not take the lead, heading into the final hole.
That’s when things went haywire.
Korda’s birdie putt missed and left her with about a three-foot putt for par. Meanwhile, Kim hit a heroic chip from deep rough to set up a par putt of her own from a similar length.
Kim hit first and drained it for a tournament-saving par. Then Korda stepped up and made her stroke, only to watch her ball glide by the low side without touching the cup. The miss drew an audible gasp from an analyst on the Golf Channel broadcast.
The disastrous short miss handed Korda a 3-putt bogey, dropping her two shots back heading to 18.
Kim ended up making bogey on the closing par-5, but Korda could only manage a par, which gave Kim a one-shot victory and Korda another near-miss.
After the round, Korda rued her “one stupid mistake” on 17 and said the 3-putt “stings,” but she also tried to take some positives from the experience.
“Obviously, something like 17 stings, so it is what it is. I felt great all day. I just kind of made one stupid mistake, and that was 17 (and then) 18,” Korda said Sunday night. “I wish I could have hit that drive into the fairway and given myself a better opportunity to press a little bit more.”
She continued: “That’s just golf. Those are sports. Sometimes it’s on your side, and sometimes it’s not.”
Nelly Korda’s controversial win in rain-shortened LPGA event
Korda’s unfortunate loss comes on the heels of a victory in her first start of the season. But the situation surrounding that victory, the 16th LPGA win of her career, was anything but normal.
At the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions in late January, the LPGA’s first tournament of the season, freezing temperatures hampered play.
When Sunday rolled around, some players hadn’t yet finished their third rounds. After initially planning to play the final round with a delayed start to let the course thaw out, LPGA officials controversially decided to cancel the final round and shorten the event to 54 holes.
A Saturday 64 had left Korda with a three-shot lead heading into Sunday, so when the tournament was called, Korda was officially given the victory. It was her first LPGA win since 2024.
But the decision came amid controversy. Korda was prepping on the range when the final round was canceled and called the course “playable” at the time.
LPGA legend Annika Sorenstam said, “I don’t know why they’re not playing,” while Korda’s competitor Lydia Ko, who was in fourth place, said, “I’m gutted that we don’t get to play tomorrow.”
In a memo to LPGA members the next day obtained by GOLF, LPGA commissioner Craig Kessler apologized for the controversial finish to the Tournament of Champions, writing in part, “While the decision was a tough one and ran counter to prior statements we shared, I made a judgement call. With the benefit of hindsight, there were clearly other ways we should have managed the situation.”
