For any professional golfer, securing that first win on TOUR is about as sweet and fulfilling as anyone can hope. The same held true for the LPGA's Jessica Korda this past weekend as she captured the ISPS Handa Women's Australian Open for her first career victory. In the process, Korda also improved her world ranking.
Victory Moves Korda Up the Rankings
According to the LPGA website, Korda shot an amazing 203 positions up the Rolex World Rankings list to number 82 overall. The Rolex Rankings serve as the official world golf rankings for female professional golfers and is comparable to the Official World Golf Ranking system used by the PGA TOUR.
Female golf sensation Yani Tseng has a secure grasp on the top of the Rolex Rankings, however young talent like Korda certainly appear to be up to the challenge of perhaps one day taking over the top spot.
First Victory Did Not Come Easy
Korda's success did not come easy, however, as her slim one-shot lead after 54 holes slowly dwindled to the point of forcing Korda into a six-way tie for first place in the tournament. She then had to overcome a record-setting six-way playoff on Sunday afternoon in order to secure her first victory as a professional.
In addition to Korda, the playoff included many great players from the tournament, including Brittany Lincicome, Stacy Lewis, Julieta Granada, Hee Kyung Seo and So Yeon Ryu. As no clear winner was decided on the first hole of the playoff, the competitors were forced into a second hole. After hitting her approach shot to about 25 feet on the second playoff hole, Korda sank what would prove to be the winning birdie putt and immediately began to celebrate her accomplishment. Granada had a chance to also birdie the same hole, however her putt slid past and secured the victory for Korda.
Future Plans and Continued Success?
Golf fans can expect to see much more of the young Korda moving forward in the LPGA season. She has already agreed to play in a variety of different tournaments worldwide and looks to add a few more victories to her resume in the process. At a time when the LPGA is in need of as much fan attention as possible, Korda's story couldn't possibly have come at a more opportune moment for the association.
Source:
'Rolex Rankings Move of the Week: Jessica Korda', LPGA.com, accessed February 2012.
Adam Fonseca - Adam Fonseca is a certified Lean Six Sigma Change Agent and an accomplished golf writer. He currently works in health care ...
