As ‘Hall of Fame’ Feat Slips Through Her Fingers Yet Again, Lydia Ko Admits Life’s Biggest Fear; Fans Shower Support

Lydia Ko has yet to fulfill every golfer’s dream! What dream? To become the 35th member of the LPGA Hall of Fame! Although she could have accomplished it in January of that year at the LPGA Drive-On Championship, the world’s #1, Nelly Korda, snubbed her in a playoff. Although she did come close again with her T4 finish at Blue Bay LPGA, only a victory can help her enter the HOF, not the close finishes.

With her win at the 2024 Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions, Ko is just one point shy of securing her seat in the LPGA Hall of Fame. As she longs for that one single point, she also has a fear looming over her. But what makes it better is having people she loves and who love her around. She recently opened up about it on Instagram after the 2024 Dow Championship.

Ko’s words of sorrow over her HOF loss yet again

Ko was paired with her “sis,” Danielle Kang, for the Dow Championship. The pair finished tied at T27 with a final score of 12 under. They both won $9,371 each. With the heartbreaking finish way behind the winners, Ruoning Yin and Atthaya Thitkul, Ko has to wait for yet another event to get that one precious point.

Recently, Ko shared a post on her Instagram thanking her more than a decade-old friend, Danielle Kang, and sharing her heartfelt emotions. Ko and Kang have referred to each other as sisters enough for everyone to know how close they are. The 2-time major winner appreciated their friendship in her Instagram caption and wrote, “Always love playing in a team format, and I couldn’t have asked for anyone else than my sis @daniellekang as my partner. Thank you unni for being such amazing friend, mentor, and sister! Thank you for being YOU!” Ko and Kang were seen smiling and hugging each other in pictures posted by the player. Their big smiles are enough proof of their genuine connection and how much they love playing golf with each other! she continued.

She also expressed gratitude for having so much fun on the greens and wrote, “What a week! Can’t remember the last time I had this much fun and was genuinely so happy on the golf course,“ wrote the golfer, addressing the fairly average 2024 season. She has missed two cuts so far and has had decent finishes so far, being in the top 20 six times. 

After the constant defeats in the 2024 season that led Ko to lose her way in the LPGA Hall of Fame two times, the 20-time LPGA Tour winner shared her fears as well. “As I get older, I have come to realize that the people that truly cares and loves me unconditionally become less,” wrote Ko, with sorrow visible in her words. 

The golfer seems to understand the true meaning of having fans and support. Can it get hard at times? Sure, it can. However, standing tough with the few people who encourage you is all you can do. That’s exactly what Ko wrote further. “But it also makes me become more grateful for those that will be there no matter what.”After Ko posted her fears and nervousness for everyone to see, fans were more than just supportive in the comment section.

Lydia Ko means so much to her fans

When it comes to showing support and love to their favorite golfers, fans are never a step behind. The fans under Ko’s posts were no different.

One user wrote, “Lydsko, it was great to see you playing together and having fun together. Would love to see more team events. Whether you win or not, it doesn’t matter. It’s a fun relaxed way to play golf. Hope to see you again soon. ❤️❤️❤️”. The LPGA Tour does not have a lot of team events. It is always fun for everyone to see the golfers pair up, and tee together on the greens as there is a certain support that you get from your teammate. This has been reaffirmed by several LIV golfers who play in team events in the Saudi-funded league. 

Another user wrote, “Go Lydia you can do this” adding to the much-needed support for Ko to make it to the Hall of Fame. Although earlier this year, the Kiwi golfer shared that being a part of the HOF was never really her goal as she did not think she was qualified enough, her fans believed otherwise. A lot of fans were encouraging Ko to play more and were letting her know that she had their support.

One fan came ahead with some advice for Lydia Ko. “It’s never about how many friends, but the quality of the ones you have.” The other fan complimented the New Zealander’s resilience and her friendship as they wrote, “Well said Lydia, 👏👏👏 and well done to you both👏👏 so nice to see such great friends playing together❤️❤️” True words right here. In one of her interviews, Kang called Ko her little sister. The duo has been very close with each other ever since they met at the 2011 US Amateur.

Not just fans, but the sister herself was very emotional. Danielle Kang commented under Ko’s post, and wrote, “I’m crying… Love you so much and thank you for being my sister for life. This week was a blessing. My sweet sister, thank you so much for making me realize again that you are never alone, you have struggled and you have struggled. Again ❤️❤️ love youuuuu @lydsko” Even Kang recognized Ko’s struggles. After a couple of beautiful finishes this year, Ko has come across a few mediocre finishes as well such as T46 at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, and missing the cut at this year’s Women’s US Open.

Whether Ko becomes a Hall of Famer or not, one thing is certain: her fans and friends will always be, as they have to date.