Nelly Korda lands third win in a row as Scottie Scheffler comes up just short

Mixed fortunes for in-form world No 1s as German lands maiden title on PGA Tour

Nelly Korda poses with the trophy after winning the Ford Championship presented by KCC at Seville Golf and Country Club in Phoenix, Arizona. Picture: Christian Petersen/Getty Images.

Women’s world No 1 Nelly Korda recorded her third straight success on the LPGA Tour as men’s No 1 Scottie Scheffler came up agonisingly short in his bid to achieve the same feat on the PGA Tour.

It was job done for Korda as the in-form 25-year-old signed off with a 65 to win the inaugural Ford Championship presented by KCC with a 20-under-par total at Seville Golf and Country Club in Arizona.

Coming on the back of her title triumphs in the LPGA Drive On Championship and Fir Hills Seri Park Championship, Korda became the first LPGA Tour player since Ariya Jutanugarn in 2016 to win in three consecutive starts and first American to do the trick since Nancy Lopez won five straight tournaments in 1978.

Stephan Jaeger poses with the trophy and his son Fritz after winning the Texas Children's Houston Open at Memorial Park Golf Course in Houston.Picture: Joe Scarnici/Getty Images.

“I think it was definitely one of my least stressful wins today. I just played really solid golf,” said Korda, who returned to world No 1 with the second of her successes.

“Didn't make really too many mistakes, and if I did I just had a chip, kind of straightforward chip. Overall capitalised on the majority of my really good shots out there today and made some good putts as well.”

Meanwhile, Scheffler fell on shot short of his third consecutive victory after missing birdie putts of eleven and five feet on the final two holes as the Texas Children’s Open title went instead to German Stephan Jaeger.

“I feel like I made the putt, and I looked up, and it was breaking off,” said Scheffler of being unable to convert his opportunity at the closing hole at Memorial Park Golf Course, where he’d three-putted from just seven feet in Friday’s second round.

Jaeger, a 34-year-old from Munich, closed with nine straight pars as he landed a maiden win on the US circuit with a 12-under total, finishing a shot ahead of not only Scheffler but also Tony Finau, Taylor Moore, Belgian Thomas Detry and Argentina’s Alejandro Tosti.

Jaeger, a six-time winner on the Korn Ferry Tour, said the motivation for his triumph had come two years ago when his dad died Klaus and son Harrison was conceived the same week. “You lose a life and you gain a life,” he said, savouring a win that secured his spot in next week’s Masters.

He is the fourth German to win on the PGA Tour, joining Bernhard Langer, Martin Kaymet and Alex Cejka, who had delivered the previous most recent victory in the 2015 Puerto Rico Open.