Nelly Korda - © trendygolf via Instagram

For the Korda, winning is a way of life. Papa Petr won the Australian Open tennis tournament in 1998; mom Regina was also professional; his brother Sebastian won an ATP tennis title earlier this year and his big sister Jessica has six wins on the LPGA Tour. Now Nelly is the winner of her first major.

Nelly Korda added a prestigious trophy to the family jewels, taking home the KPMG Women's PGA Championship for her sixth victory on the LPGA Tour. In doing so, she reached number one in the Rolex Ranking, the first American to do so since Stacy Lewis in 2014. Nelly will also join Jessica in Tokyo on the US Olympic team, with a chance that her brother Sebastian will also be there. .

"That sounds good, I'm not going to lie"Nelly Korda said when presented to the media as a winner of a first major title. "It's amazing, honestly", she added after winning the Meijer Classic last week, the biggest triumph of her career.

"In recent days, the battle with Lizette has been very entertaining"she added. “It was stressful. I think there was everything. But I can't believe it. I am still shocked. "

Korda and Lizette Salas have engaged in a real showdown. They started tied at 15 under par, five strokes ahead of Patty Tavatanakit, Céline Boutier and Giulia Molinaro, and the fight between the two women was a matter of mental as well as skill. Salas took the best Korda had to offer until Nelly's ultimate power prevailed.

Powered by a pair of eagles, Korda closed with a 68 to finish at 269, 19 under par, while Salas scored a 71 to finish at 272. Molinaro and Hyo Joo Kim are tied for third at 278, while as Tavatanakit and Danielle Kang, the 2017 Women's PGA champion, are at 280. Boutier and Austin Ernst finished at 281, while Amy Yang, Cydney Clanton and Xiyu Lin were at 282.

The Atlanta Athletic Club - the sixth consecutive venue to host the Women's PGA and which had previously hosted a male major - has proven to be a very good test for both hard shot execution and decision making. PGA guru Kerry Haigh moved the tees to create a passable par-4 and some accessible par-5s, while placing the holes near the aquatic penalty areas, forcing players to make risky decisions.

Korda took full advantage of the opportunities created by his distance advantage from the tee, completing two eagles on Sunday that did not total 3 meters combined. At number 5 she hit a 7 wood from 243 yards to land 45cm from the hole and at number 12 she hit an iron on her second shot over the water hazard at 2,43 meters.

"I dominated most of the par-5s"said Korda. “I measured my shots very well, I put in my putts. My game was up, and when you look back on weeks like this, it's really special, and you don't take it for granted. I am truly grateful for all the hard work and for my family who constantly pushes me. "

Salas held on to No.12, where she lay-up on the par-5, then followed Korda's brilliant iron shot by knocking into the back bunker resulting in a bogey. Korda's eagle gave her a four-stroke lead that grew to five with a birdie at No. 14. She then gave up two strokes when she hit the water at No. 15 and made a double bogey, but Salas couldn't have done better.

"I am extremely proud"said Salas, who was also the 2019 AIG Women's Open runner-up. “We came with a goal and I think we exceeded it. When things weren't going the way I wanted them to, I still told myself I was okay. There's just a lot going on right now. There are a lot of emotions. I am really grateful to be in this position and to have fought to the end. "

Salas shivered at the start of the game, but landed save putts at No.1 and 2. Korda replied with a birdie at No.3 and a sensational eagle at No.5. But Salas birdieed No.5 and another over No.6 to stay at one point despite Korda passing him over 27 yards on average throughout the weekend.

"I played well this week, and I think it's the start of something great", said Salas. “We have accumulated points for the Solheim Cup, and the wonderful thing is that there are two American flags at the top of this table. "

Between them, Nelly and Jessica Korda now have 12 LPGA Tour victories and a major championship. The fact that Nelly, 22, won a major championship before Jessica, 28, will likely be brought up when the five Kordas gather around the family table at the next festive meal. But in this family, it's all about support.

"When I'm depressed, my family is always there", said Nelly. “Having my mom here is really nice. She followed me most of the week, which was nice. I mean, Jess is like the best big sister. I don't think anyone can get close to her. She just has a heart of gold. "

Today, not only does Nelly join her father as a major champion, but she is also the world number one in women's golf. It's a hell of a challenge to throw at his big sister. But if there's one thing the Korda have proven, it's that they know how to win, and they know how to lean on each other.

To view the KPMG Women's PGA leaderboard: click here

To read our last article about the KPMG Women's PGA:

KPMG Women's PGA: Céline Boutier 3rd, Nelly Korda in the lead