Amid a Dismal Season by Champion Lydia Ko, Who Are the Top 5 Players in Contention for the 2023 LPGA Vare Trophy?

The LPGA circuit has seen a lot of talented golfers over the season, owing to the skills and techniques that they were able to display on the course. While the players do get their rewards in the form of the title of champion and a cut from the prize money, the Tour also presents a selected few with awards such as the Vare Trophy, which saw Lydia Ko receive the same in 2022.

However, the Kiwi has not been having the best of years in 2023. But even so, many other athletes have been able to bring themselves to the spotlight throughout the season with their talents. Thus, curiosity naturally arises: if Ko is unable to defend her title, who would be in line to replace her as champion in 2023?

Meet the top 5 golfers lined up for the LPGA Vare Trophy

1. Hyo-Joo Kim: Topping the list of golfers is the South Korean professional with a scoring average of 69.689. Although the 28-year-old only has a single win in 2023 coming off at the Ascendant LPGA Benefiting Volunteers of America, she has a total of nine top-10 finishes, including the same. The 6X LPGA Tour winner is 7th on the Rolex rankings and is a favorite to win the award.

2. Atthaya Thitikul: Following closely behind Kim is the 2022 Rookie of the Year, who is currently at 9th on the world rankings. Having an average of 69.761, the 20-year-old has been nothing short of an amazing talent over the year, as she boasts a whopping thirteen top-10 placements in 2023 events. The 2X LPGA Tour champ’s best finishes this year include being the runner-up a total of two times at the LPGA Maybank Championship and the Ascendant LPGA Benefiting Volunteers of America.

3. Xiyu Lin: Hot on the tail of the top duo is the Chinese professional, with numbers 69.958. The 27-year-old. The current World No. 12 finished T2 a total of two times at the Portland Classic and the JM Eagle LA Championship. Moreover, she bagged third place at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship with a score of 6-under-278, all the while proving her mettle on the course.

4. Jin Young Ko: At the fourth position in the standings is Ko, who is also currently ranked in the same position in the Rolex Rankings. She was also the winner of the Vare Trophy in 2019. With a total of 15 wins on the LPGA Tour, two of them came in 2023 at the Cognizant Founders Cup and the HSBC Women’s World Championship, with her average score of 70.065.

5. Nelly Korda: The LPGA Covergirl occupies the same position (5th) in both the standings for the awards and the world rankings. The Solheim Cup star has a total of eight top-10 finishes on the circuit, pushing her numbers to 70.133. The 8-time LPGA Tour champ is undoubtedly a favorite among the fans to win the trophy.
While other names pop up for the much-desired award, the situation of the 2022 champion naturally piques one’s interest.

The faltering season of Lydia Ko

After an amazing year, the New Zealand pro was able to clinch the Vare Trophy for the first time in 2021. Moreover, she managed to accomplish the feat again with a scoring average of 68.988, the second-lowest winning number in Tour history after Annika Sorenstam in 2002, becoming the 12th player on the circuit to win it consecutively.

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However, 2023 proved to be a rough year for Lydia Ko, as she just saw two top-10 finishes over the whole year, pushing the former World No. 1, a feat she achieved in November 2022, to 12. The 19x LPGA Tour winner was also pushed outside the top 100 on the Race to CME Globe season list with 228.571 points.

Well, one can hope the Kiwi is able to get back on her feet by next year. What do you think of the standings? Let us know your comments below.

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