Nelly Korda “has the ability to dominate” women’s golf, says Catriona Mathews, after winning her third major title.
Korda achieved an overwhelming wire-to-wire victory at the Chevron Championship, matching the tournament’s lowest 54-hole score before winning by five strokes and returning to number one in the world.
It’s the kind of dominating display that was common during the days when Tiger Woods was at the top of the men’s game, and Matthew, the 2009 Women’s British Open champion, believes the women’s game could benefit from a similar figurehead.
Mathews told Sky Sports News: “In any sport, for me there’s one player who is dominant and that’s of interest to the general public.” “In the men’s game, we’ve seen Tiger Woods and Scotty Scheffler over the last few years.
Tiger Woods won the last of his 15 major titles at the 2019 Masters
“If Scotty is playing, I’ll check and watch to see if he does the same thing he did last year.
“In the women’s game, obviously you have Annika Sorenstam (10-time major winner), Carrie Webb (7-time), Se-ri Park (5-time). But if you look sideways, there are only a few of them.”
Korda has now won three titles, adding her second success at Chevron to the 2024 championship and the 2021 U.S. Women’s Open, but could she be the next to dominate the women’s game?
Nelly Korda wins third major title at Chevron Championship
“When it comes to golf, definitely,” Matthew said. “I’m referring to her golf. She’s tall, has great distance, and her swing is almost perfect.
“If she can keep the putter moving, she has the ability to dominate.
“She seems poised and has the mental strength to do it.”
“When Korda does her best, no one can beat her.”
Dame Laura Davies also praised Korda on the Sky Sports Golf Podcast, with the four-time major winner saying the 27-year-old American was playing a “complete game”.
“It’s cruise control,” Davis said of Korda’s victory at Chevron.
“I’m not going to compare her to Tiger because there’s no comparison, but when you have a player like that hitting up front like she does, I don’t see her going backwards.
“And she didn’t. She got better and better and won by a country mile.
“For me, Nelly is a complete game player when she’s out there. I’ve always said this: If she does her best, no one can beat her.”
Davis added: “Nelly could probably stay at the top for another five to 10 years if she wants. I don’t think anyone will ever reach the number of major wins and championships that Annika has, but she’s definitely up there with Carrie Webb and Se Ri Park.”
“She definitely has it all. Her game is on a little bit of a different level at the moment. It looks like she needs to step up another gear.”
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