Charley Hull finishes second as Nelly Korda wins US Women’s Open

Charley Hull suffered another major disappointment as Nelly Korda secured her first US Women’s Open title. Hull stood atop the leaderboard early in the final round at the Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles, but ultimately finished one shot behind Korda, finishing seven under par. This marked Hull's fifth time finishing as a runner-up in a major championship.

Mexico's Gaby Lopez also finished alongside Hull in second place, while South Koreans In Gee Chun and Sei Young Kim ended a shot further back.

“It’s just frustrating,” Hull remarked. “Another second place; I think that’s five second-place finishes I’ve had in majors now. It’s pretty annoying, but I played really well the last day. Obviously, I missed a couple putts on the back nine, but it was quite windy and I hit the ball fantastic. So fair play to Nelly Korda for back-to-back wins. I just love playing in the majors. Like, I pretty much only get up for the majors. I loved it out there. It was so much fun. The crowds were great and it was nice to see so many young kids around.”

At the halfway mark, Hull found herself seven strokes off the pace, starting the final day three shots behind the lead. She quickly made her move with an eagle three at the first hole, followed by two birdies before dropping a shot at the ninth. Hull's back-to-back birdies at the start of the back nine put her back in contention, but dropped shots on the 12th and 14th hindered her progress. A birdie on the 17th, after recovering from a greenside bunker, brought her back into a shared lead, but she could not hole her chip from behind the 18th green. Hull sunk the return putt to set the clubhouse lead, equaling the lowest round of the day with a 67.

Meanwhile, Korda, playing in the final group, recorded nine consecutive pars before birdieing the par-five 17th, taking a one-stroke lead. A nervous moment came when her short par putt to clinch the title rolled around the lip of the hole before finally falling, securing her fourth major title with a closing score of 69. This victory followed her earlier win at the Chevron Championship in April, marking her as holder of the first two major titles of the season.

“That 14-year-old girl that stepped on the range at Sebonack in 2013, I mean, her dream has just come true sitting next to this trophy right now,” Korda expressed. “It’s really hard to put into words.”