Korda wins U.S. Women’s Open with last putt at Riviera

Nelly Korda turned a one-shot margin into a career statement at The Riviera Country Club, where her 2 1/2-foot par putt on the 18th hole curled around the cup before dropping to seal the 81st U.S. Women’s Open. The win gave Korda her second consecutive major victory and left Charley Hull and Gaby Lopez one stroke back.

The finish capped a week that placed Korda at the center of the strongest field the championship could assemble. The USGA accepted 1,897 entries for the 2026 U.S. Women’s Open, with all 25 players in the world top 25 and 11 past champions among them. Riviera hosted the championship for the first time, and the tournament marked the first U.S. Women’s Open in Greater Los Angeles and only the second in Southern California, after San Diego Country Club in 1964.

Korda arrived with momentum and expectation. She reclaimed the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings No. 1 position after winning the Chevron Championship in April, and she came to Riviera still carrying the edge of last year’s near miss at Erin Hills, where she finished tied for second in the 80th U.S. Women’s Open. Before the tournament, Korda said she was “hungry for more,” and she backed that up by closing a major with the sort of final putt that leaves no doubt about the result or the player.

The championship itself carried historic weight. The U.S. Women’s Open began in 1946 at Spokane Country Club, and the 2026 edition was its 81st. Korda, who joined the LPGA Tour in 2017, now owns consecutive major titles, a run that has pushed her from one of the game’s top names into a more durable conversation about dominance.

At Riviera, the final putt was only the last act. The larger story was Korda’s ability to absorb pressure, answer it over 72 holes, and finish with the tournament’s biggest shot when the title was on the line.