Korda: Pure Silk in the Bahamas

Chris Duthie

In a time when sports superstars receive mega-millions and oftentimes take their godlike athletic abilities for granted, it’s enormously gratifying to see a professional athlete display genuine unbridled joy in the accomplishment.

We got another taste of that “I DID IT!” elation during Sunday’s final-round telecast of the LPGA Tour’s Pure Silk Bahamas Classic. When all was said and done, Jessica Korda emerged with a one-shot victory over Stacy Lewis. Korda’s gutsy birdie on the final hole proved the difference… and the magical prompt for a post-round shower of shaving cream and ice-cold water from friends and fellow competitors.

“It's unbelievable,” said the 20-year-old of winning the season opener for the second time in three years (her only other LPGA victory came at the 2012 Women's Australian Open at Royal Melbourne). “I don't know, maybe I pay attention more to detail, and I'm more relaxed out here. Whatever it is I need to figure it out and do it more often.”



And Korda had to pay attention. Her coach, Grant Price, with whom she is working on swing changes, is suffering from testicular cancer. She hit a number of hooks and shanks during the first three rounds.

But the daughter of 1998 Australian tennis Open champion Petr Korda entered Sunday’s final round three shots behind third-round leader Na Yeon Choi, but she caught fire midway through the front nine with a five birdies in a stretch of seven holes.

And that 72^nd-hole effort? Just a nonchalant, under-the-TV-cables, off-the-green Texas wedge that finished six feet from the cup, setting up an unlikely birdie and a four-day total of 19 under par.

“It was like double‑dutch (jump rope),” Korda joked of putting under the cables. “I was jumping over wires with people holding onto them. It was really funny.”

It was also a great show of how much some of these amazing athletes truly love – and can show the passion for – the game they play.

NEXT UP

PGA Tour: Jan. 30-Feb. 2; Waste Management Phoenix Open; Scottsdale, AZ

LPGA Tour: Feb. 13-16; ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open; Victoria, Australia

Champions Tour: Feb. 7-9; Allianz Championship; Boca Raton, FL

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Chris Duthie is a contributor to Colorado AvidGolfer, the state’s leading resource for golf and the lifestyle that surrounds it. It publishes eight issues annually and proudly delivers daily content via www.coloradoavidgolfer.com.