PGA Tour legend Tiger Woods sent a text message to Nelly Korda on the final morning of the 2026 U.S. Women's Open, telling her to finish the job. A few hours later, Korda made a 34-inch putt on the final hole and won the championship at Riviera Country Club.

Korda finished at 8-under-par, one shot ahead of Charley Hull and Gaby Lopez, claiming her fourth major title and second of the 2026 season after winning the Chevron Championship earlier this year.

After the round, Korda confirmed Woods had been in touch. "Tiger texted me a couple of times, and he told me to finish it off today," she said in a clip posted by NUCLR GOLF on X.

The respect between Nelly Korda and Tiger Woods has been clear for many years. Korda has often said she looks up to Woods and revealed that she was “glued to the TV” watching his famous comeback in 2018.

Her sister, Jessica Korda, also spoke about their admiration for him, saying, “We’re Tiger’s kids basically.”

During a TaylorMade collaboration, Woods praised Korda and called her “one of the best golfers to ever live.” Their comments show a great deal of respect and appreciation for each other’s achievements in golf.

LeBron James had also been in contact throughout the week. "The amount of DMs I've gotten from him and his support for the entire tour has been amazing," Korda said.

James posted on social media ahead of the Chevron Championship: "Bring it on home, Nelly!" earlier this season.

"I've been really lucky with the amount of support I've gotten throughout my entire career," Korda said.

There was also a lot of pressure, and she was put to the test on Sunday.

A Final Round That Went Down to the Last Hole For Nelly Korda

After a bogey on the seventh and pressure from Charley Hull and In Gee Chun, Korda steadied herself with nine straight pars before birdieing the par-5 17th to take a one-shot lead into the final hole.

"My heart rate was at like 160," Korda told Golf Channel. "You can barely feel your hands at that moment. I just needed to make contact."

Her approach shot stopped just 34 inches from the hole. She then made the short putt for the title. The ball touched the left edge of the cup, rolled around the hole, and dropped in.

"Mid-round, I was like, will I ever win it?" Korda said. "But I think you're just a human being if you have them."

After opening with a 73 and trailing by seven shots, Korda rallied with rounds of 67, 67, and 69 to claim victory, becoming the first player since Inbee Park in 2013 to win the first two women's majors of the season.

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Written by

Sneha Abraham

Edited by

Pulkit Prabhav